At the core of the Star Dou Great Forest, by the Lake of Life.
Lei Chen hovered in mid-air, surrounded by a flowing, iridescent halo. The violet-gold lightning mark between his brows shone brightly, exuding an awe-inspiring majesty.
He slowly closed his eyes, immersing his consciousness completely into the essence of the Plane.
He had never forgotten the covenant with the Silver Dragon King.
Reviving the Spirit Beasts hunted in recent years was but a small token of his gratitude to her. The core of their covenant—and the promise he, as the Lord of the Plane, was bound to fulfill—was to utterly change the fate of the Spirit Beasts being hunted, and to reshape the Douluo Plane's cultivation system.
"Laws of Heaven and Earth, heed my command!"
With a low chant from the depths of Lei Chen's consciousness, the fundamental laws of the entire Douluo Plane began to tremble violently.
Centered on him, streams of iridescent light, invisible to the naked eye yet imbued with supreme authority, spread rapidly like a spider's web to every corner of the Plane, penetrating the very foundation of the world's structure.
What he was doing was modifying one of this Plane's most fundamental and cruelest rules for Spirit Beasts—the law that allowed human Spirit Masters to advance by hunting Spirit Beasts to obtain spirit rings!
This process seemed silent and motionless, yet it was fraught with peril, as a single misstep could affect the whole. Had Lei Chen not successfully fused with the Undead Demi-plane, ascended to the rank of First-level God, and achieved an unprecedented level of control over the Plane's essence, he would never have dared to attempt such a fundamental alteration.
Guided by his vast divine power, the world's foundational rules were slowly pried open and rewritten. The Mandatory rules that dictated a Spirit Beast's cultivation and soul fragments must manifest as a spirit ring upon death was forcibly erased and overridden by Lei Chen's supreme authority.
In its place, a new, relatively gentler rule was established:
Henceforth, within the Douluo Plane, when a Spirit Beast dies, its lifetime's cultivation and essence shall return to Heaven and Earth, nourishing the Plane, and will no longer be Forced to manifest a spirit ring.
Henceforth, Spirit Masters of the Douluo Plane, wishing to advance and obtain spirit rings, may do so through the method of skill imprinting, condensing spirit rings compatible with their own attributes from Spirit Beasts.
The establishment of this new rule was not instantaneous. The iridescent light surged and scoured through the veins of the Plane's laws, erasing the old imprints and branding new ones.
Between Heaven and Earth, a hum seemed to resonate, one perceivable only to beings of an extremely high level—a hum originating from the world's very essence, heralding the end of an old era and the dawn of a new one.
Just as Lei Chen was wholly focused on modifying the laws, powerful auras descended within the dense forests surrounding the Lake of Life. Yet, they halted at an extreme distance from the lakeshore, not daring to overstep in the slightest.
Led by Di Tian, the formidable overlords of the Star Dou Great Forest—Bi Ji, Ten Thousand Demon King, Xiong Jun, Chi Wang, and others—had all gathered here. Each of their faces was filled with shock, reverence, and a trace of barely concealed trepidation.
The drastic changes at the core—the surge of energy from the Lake of Life, the descent of the golden ancient tree, and the earlier life tide that swept the entire forest along with the miracle of resurrected Spirit Beasts—had long since alerted them.
As overlord-level Fierce Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest, they could not remain indifferent to such earth-shattering transformations occurring at the heart of their home.
However, feeling the vast, oppressive might emanating from the figure by the lake—a presence that was both one with the entire world and yet transcended it—not a single Fierce Beast dared to approach and disturb him. They hardly dared to breathe.
Di Tian's deep dragon eyes were fixed intently on Lei Chen, his gaze complex.
Before departing for seclusion, his master, the Silver Dragon King, had informed him of the Lord of the Plane's existence and parts of their covenant, strictly commanding him and the entire Spirit Beast race to obey the will of the Lord of the Plane.
Therefore, Di Tian understood better than the other Fierce Beasts the supremely noble status of the being performing such a magnificent feat before them, and what his actions meant for the future of the Spirit Beast race.
Time passed bit by bit. When the final stream of iridescent light merged into the void, marking the complete revision of the Plane's laws, Lei Chen slowly opened his eyes. The suffocating, invisible pressure around him receded slightly as his calm gaze fell upon the group of Fierce Beasts watching from afar.
Feeling the weight of that gaze, all the Fierce Beasts, led by Di Tian, felt their hearts tighten.
Without hesitation, Di Tian lowered his head, stepped forward, and proclaimed in an extremely respectful and resonant voice, "Di Tian of the Star Dou Great Forest, pays homage to the Lord of the Plane!"
Following Di Tian's lead, the Fierce Beasts behind him—Bi Ji, Ten Thousand Demon King, Xiong Jun, and the others—also lowered their heads in unison, voicing their salute: "We pay homage to the Lord of the Plane!"
Lei Chen was not surprised by their appearance and gave a slight nod in acknowledgment of their courtesy.
His eyes swept over the gathered Fierce Beasts. His voice, though peaceful, carried an indisputable authority as it clearly reached the ears of each one. "I have revised the laws of the Plane. From this day forth, when a Spirit Beast dies, it will no longer manifest a spirit ring."
"If Spirit Masters wish to advance, they must seek you out to imprint skills. The practice of hunting Spirit Beasts to obtain rings is henceforth extinct. The greatest threat to the survival of the Spirit Beast race has been resolved."
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the Fierce Beasts erupted with wild joy and excitement. Although the specific details and future implications would require time to verify, a rule change personally announced by the Lord of the Plane could not be false!
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Di Tian spoke again with reverence, "Our master informed us of the covenant with Your Excellency before her seclusion. Your Excellency has honored the agreement, altering the laws of Heaven and Earth for our race. This grace and virtue, our Spirit Beast race will never forget for all eternity!"
"This is part of the covenant's content, which I am bound to fulfill," Lei Chen stated indifferent. He then shifted the topic slightly, continuing, "However, you must also understand that under the new rules, Spirit Masters may turn to attempting to capture and imprison Spirit Beasts alive, seeking a continuous source for skill imprinting."
"I will not completely prevent such incidents. I have severed the most Deadly Shackles for you, but the survival and development of your race ultimately depend on your own strength and wisdom."
Lei Chen's meaning was clear. He had only changed the most unfair and Deadly Shackles part of the rules, providing a relatively fair starting point. But whether the Spirit Beast race could truly rise and avoid being suppressed by humans in other ways still depended on themselves.
After all, he, the Lord of the Plane, was not the dedicated caretaker of the Spirit Beast race.
Di Tian and the other Fierce Beasts, having lived for hundreds of thousands of years, naturally understood this principle. Therefore, after hearing Lei Chen's words, Di Tian immediately responded solemnly, "Your Excellency speaks most rightly! Our race will definitely strive for self-improvement and not Let down the high expectations of Your Excellency and our master!"
Lei Chen nodded and finally said, "One more matter for you to remember."
"In the future, should any among you reach a bottleneck and need to undergo a Heavenly Tribulation, I will appear at that time. Using the authority of Heavenly Punishment, I will shield you from the tribulation's power and assist you in passing through it safely."
Having left this final promise—another part of his covenant with the Silver Dragon King—Lei Chen said no more.
His figure gradually grew illusory at the spot, eventually dissolving into specks of iridescent light. Like merging with a gentle breeze, he vanished soundlessly above the Lake of Life, as if he had never been there.
Only Di Tian and the gathered Fierce Beasts remained, standing in place, digesting all they had experienced today, their hearts filled with boundless hope and unwavering resolve for the future.