Rewriting the Plane's Rules, a Blessing for the Soul Beast Clans

At the core of the Star Dou Great Forest, beside the Lake of Life.

Lei Chen hovered in midair, rainbow light flowing around him. The violet-gold lightning pattern between his brows gleamed brilliantly, radiating an awe-inspiring majesty.

He slowly closed his eyes and immersed his consciousness completely into the Plane Origin.

He had never forgotten his pact with the Silver Dragon King.

Reviving the Soul Beasts that had been hunted over the past few years was merely a small gesture of repayment to the Silver Dragon King. Completely changing the fate of the Soul Beast clans, who were hunted without end, and reshaping the cultivation system of the Douluo Plane—those were the core of their pact, and also the promise he, as the Plane Lord, had to fulfill.

"Laws of heaven and earth, heed my command!"

With Lei Chen's low shout from the depths of his consciousness, the origin laws of the entire Douluo Plane began to tremble violently.

Centered on him, streaks of rainbow light invisible to the naked eye, yet containing supreme laws, rapidly spread like a web to every corner of the plane, reaching deep into the world's underlying framework.

What he was doing was altering one of the most cruel fundamental rules imposed upon Soul Beasts since this plane's birth—the law by which human Soul Masters hunted Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings and advance!

The process seemed silent, but it was incomparably dangerous. A single pull could affect the entire system. If Lei Chen had not successfully fused with the Undead Demiplane, ascended to become a First-level God, and attained an unprecedented level of control over the Plane Origin, he would never have dared make such a fundamental change so lightly.

Guided by his vast Divine Power, the world's underlying rules were gradually pried loose and rewritten. The compulsory law that decreed a Soul Beast's cultivation and soul fragments must manifest as a Soul Ring after death was forcibly erased and overwritten by Lei Chen's supreme authority.

In its place came a new, relatively gentle rule:

All Soul Beasts of the Douluo Plane, upon death, would return their lifelong cultivation and origin to heaven and earth, nourishing the plane, and would no longer be forced to manifest as Soul Rings.

All Soul Masters of the Douluo Plane who wished to advance and obtain Soul Rings could condense Soul Rings suited to their own attributes from Soul Beasts through Skill Imprinting.

This new rule was not established in a single stroke. Rainbow light surged and washed through the veins of the plane's laws, erasing the old imprints and branding new marks in their place.

It was as though a hum from the world's origin, perceptible only to beings of an extremely high level, rang out across heaven and earth, announcing the end of an old era and the beginning of a new one.

Just as Lei Chen focused entirely on altering the rules, powerful auras silently descended within the dense forest around the Lake of Life. Yet they stopped far from the shore, not daring to overstep in the slightest.

Led by Di Tian, Bi Ji, the Myriad Demon King, Bear Lord, Scarlet King, and the other great fierce beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest had already gathered there. Every one of their faces was filled with shock, reverence, and a trace of barely concealed fear.

The upheaval in the core region—the explosive surge of energy within the Lake of Life, the arrival of the Golden Ancient Tree, and the earlier life tide that swept through the entire forest along with the miracle of the Soul Beasts' resurrection—had long since alarmed them.

As overlord-level fierce beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest, they could not possibly remain indifferent to such earthshaking changes at the heart of their home.

Yet, sensing the vast pressure radiating from the figure by the lake—a pressure that seemed one with heaven and earth while also transcending it—not a single fierce beast dared step forward to interrupt him. They scarcely even dared breathe.

Di Tian's deep dragon eyes remained fixed on Lei Chen, his gaze incomparably complicated.

Before leaving to enter seclusion, the Silver Dragon King had informed him of the Plane Lord's existence and part of the pact's contents, sternly ordering him and the entire Soul Beast clan to obey the Plane Lord's will.

Therefore, Di Tian understood better than the other fierce beasts just how exalted the being before them was, and what his actions meant for the future of the Soul Beast clans.

Time passed bit by bit. When the last streak of rainbow light merged into the void and the modification of the plane's laws was fully complete, Lei Chen slowly opened his eyes. The suffocating, invisible pressure around him receded slightly as he calmly looked toward the fierce beasts watching from afar.

Feeling that gaze settle upon them, Di Tian and all the other fierce beasts felt their hearts tighten.

Without hesitation, Di Tian lowered his head and stepped forward. In an incomparably respectful voice, he declared, "Di Tian of the Star Dou Great Forest greets the Plane Lord!"

With Di Tian taking the lead, Bi Ji, the Myriad Demon King, Bear Lord, Scarlet King, and the other fierce beasts behind him lowered their heads as well and saluted in unison. "Greetings, Plane Lord!"

Lei Chen was not surprised by their arrival. He gave a slight nod in acknowledgment of their salute.

His gaze swept across the fierce beasts. His voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable authority as it clearly reached every one of their ears. "I have altered the plane's rules. From this day onward, Soul Beasts will no longer manifest Soul Rings after death."

"If Soul Masters wish to advance, they must seek Skill Imprinting from your kind. The hunting of Soul Beasts for rings shall henceforth cease to exist. The greatest threat to the continued existence of the Soul Beast clans has been lifted."

At once, the fierce beasts' eyes erupted with wild joy and excitement. Although the precise details and future effects still required time to verify, there could be no falsehood in a rule change personally declared by the Plane Lord!

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Di Tian respectfully spoke again. "Before entering seclusion, our lord informed us of the pact between us and Your Excellency. Your Excellency has kept your promise and altered the laws of heaven and earth for our race. We Soul Beasts shall never forget such grace and virtue for all eternity!"

Lei Chen replied evenly, "This is part of the pact. Naturally, I must fulfill it." His tone shifted slightly as he continued, "However, you must also understand that under the new rules, Soul Masters may instead attempt to capture and imprison Soul Beasts alive, seeking an endless supply of Skill Imprinting."

"I will not completely prevent such matters either. I have severed your most fatal shackles, but the survival and development of your clans will ultimately depend on your own strength and wisdom."

Lei Chen's meaning was clear. He had only changed the most unfair and deadly part of the rules, providing a relatively fair starting point. Whether the Soul Beast clans could truly rise and avoid being suppressed by humanity through other means would still depend on themselves.

After all, he, the Plane Lord, was not the Soul Beast clans' personal caretaker.

Di Tian and the other fierce beasts had all lived for hundreds of thousands of years, so they naturally understood this principle. After hearing Lei Chen's words, Di Tian immediately said solemnly, "Your Excellency speaks truly! Our race shall certainly strive for self-improvement and never fail Your Excellency's and our lord's expectations!"

Lei Chen nodded and said at last, "There is one more matter. Remember it well."

"In the future, if any among you reaches a bottleneck and must undergo a Heavenly Tribulation, I will appear then and use the authority of heavenly punishment to shield you from the tribulation's might, helping you pass through it safely."

Having left behind this final promise, which was also another part of his pact with the Silver Dragon King, Lei Chen said no more.

His figure gradually became illusory where he stood. At last, it transformed into specks of rainbow light that silently vanished above the Lake of Life, as though merging into the breeze, as if he had never appeared at all.

Only Di Tian and the other fierce beasts remained standing there, processing everything they had experienced today, their hearts filled with boundless hopes and unwavering resolve for the future.