His first destination was Amitabha Buddha, whose physical body had transfigured into a massive mountain. Seven Star sat upon the "shoulder" of this great mountain and entered a state of deep meditation, using his Divine Soul to communicate with Amitabha.
The Buddha spoke, "This Humble One greets the Great Immortal. What teachings have you come to bestow?"
Seven Star replied, "I would not dare. You attained the Dao in ancient times; why have you not ascended to the Immortal Realm but remained here? What are you waiting for?"
Amitabha Buddha answered, "This Humble One has been waiting for this very moment. My disciples and I have devotedly accumulated merit through countless lifetimes, and now it is fulfilled; it can increase no further. We only ask to build a Floating Island where my disciples and I may practice together. I desire nothing extravagant; for this alone, I am willing to trade all the karmic merit of myself and my followers."
Seven Star said, "Your request is too great; it is difficult for us to fulfill."
Amitabha replied, "Do not worry. My disciples and I have already prepared sufficient resources. We only need the permission of the Heavenly Dao to begin. The Immortal Race currently holds the power to govern this continent, and thus, the right to change the Laws."
Seven Star was greatly surprised upon hearing this. "I understand. I shall return and report." He thought to himself: The power to change the Laws is the authority of the Human Sovereign. Since his passing, I have not heard of anyone inheriting this power. Yet Amitabha affirms it is held by the Immortal Race. How can this be?
The Secret of the Time Key
Seven Star returned to Queen Moon and recounted Amitabha’s words. Queen Moon responded gently, "Very well. Go and meet the other races."
Seven Star asked, "Is it truly that simple? The Laws have been established; how can they be altered so easily?"
"It is so," Queen Moon replied.
"Do we truly have the right to change the Laws of the Heavenly Dao? Are we the law-givers?" Seven Star pressed.
Queen Moon looked at King Star beside her and asked, "Have you told your son nothing yet?"
King Star chuckled, shook his head, and said, "Not yet."
Queen Moon sighed and stood up to leave, ordering all servants to exit so that King Star and Seven Star could speak privately. King Star produced half of a key and said, "This is half of the Time Key. Queen Moon holds the other half. When joined, we possess the power to move through time, returning to the era when the Heavenly Dao first emerged to participate in the process of establishing its Laws. We decide which time and which region will apply which law."
Seven Star was shocked. "But this is the power of the Human Sovereign (the King of Kings). Why do you possess it, Father?"
"He was the one who entrusted it to us," King Star revealed. "The so-called 'Human Sovereign' was actually two: the King of Humans and the King of Immortals (the Sun Elf King). The two supported each other—one was the King of the Day, the other the King of the Night. The cause of both Kings' deaths was the betrayal and envy of the Ancient Human Race toward their own ruler. It is for this reason that Queen Moon and I altered the Laws to suppress humanity."
Their conversation lasted a long time. Finally, King Star said, "Using the Time Key requires a price paid in one's own lifespan. I have reached the end of my life. When I die, you shall inherit this key in my place." Before Seven Star could speak, King Star cut him off and departed. Seven Star then went on to meet the remaining representatives of the Yao Race and the Asura Race.
The Dimensional Negotiations
One month later, the Immortal Race dispatched a team of their highest-ranking members to the Ancestral Dragon site, the residence of the Dragon King. Seven Star held the two halves of the Time Key, opening a spatial dimension separate from the current timeline to negotiate the treaties.
The method of decision was simple: the strong held the right. Each treaty or solution would be brought forward for all parties to discuss.
- First, a "war of words." For instance, if Amitabha Buddha wanted his own floating island, the representative Joyful Buddha would present the request and the reasons. If it passed, it was settled.
- Second, a duel of magic or martial arts. If someone disagreed, the winner of the duel would decide whether to accept the treaty.
- Third, a consultation with the Heavenly Dao—a higher intelligence—to determine what should be added or removed to maintain fairness for all sides.
The separate dimension was opened so that the Great Beings could freely use their full power without fear of accidentally killing anyone or destroying the Mu Continent. Time inside moved differently: one year inside was equal to only one minute outside. This gave them ample time to debate and fight.
The New Order of the Seven Races
Since all races under the Heavenly Dao sought to accumulate Karmic Merit, this issue was addressed first:
- The Human Race (Ancient Saint Race) and the Immortal Race (Ancient Wu Race): Agreed on a path of doing good deeds to accumulate merit, forgiving and overlooking the actions of evildoers, and persevering in the path of righteousness whether in life or death.
- The Dragon Race, Immortal Race (Ancient Wu Race), and Asura Race (Ancient Asura Race): Agreed to seek merit by "Eradicating Evil.":
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
a. However, those who lived a good life but were harmed by the wicked and could not forgive could seek aid from the Asura Race. This made the Asuras highly favored by the lower classes of society.
b. The Dragon Race became obsessed with oaths; anyone who broke a promise would be hunted by the Dragons, dead or alive.
c. The Immortal Race followed the tenet of "Eliminating Mara to Protect the Dao," only intervening if someone transformed into a Ghost or a Demon. - The Buddha Race, Ancient Yao Race, and Ancient Saint Race: Chose the path of repentance—helping the wicked repent and change their ways to stop doing evil.
a. The Buddha Race focused on helping evildoers abandon the dark path for the light; those who wished to turn back could seek refuge in the Buddha's gates to avoid punishment, but they had to follow a path of asceticism and self-mortification first.
b. The Yao Race, representing nature, was ready to accept those who had destroyed the environment if they returned to restore it, without holding past grudges.
c. The Saint Race also emphasized repentance but through doing good deeds to repay karmic debts, without self-mortification. - The New Human Race: Had no choice; the other races decided for them.
- The Spirit Element Race: Had no representative. To contact them, one had to go through the Elemental Temples, which were previously the private property of the Immortal Race. The Council forced over 100 temples to become public property, placed in accessible locations on the ground. Any power attempting to monopolize these temples could be freely attacked by all other forces.
Classification of Combat Arts
The power of the races was clearly defined to avoid overlap:
- Physical Combat: Dragon Race (Defense focus), Asura Race (Offense focus).
- Magical Combat: Immortal Race (Orthodox), Yao Race (Instinctive).
- Support Combat: Buddha Race (Defense/Purification), Spirit Element Race (Recovery/Buffs).
- Humans (Special): Could learn all branches but start very weak. Their ultimate advantage is the ability to Summon Gods for support.
The Creation of the Holy Lands
After the Pact of the Seven Great Races was signed, the Mu Continent shook with divine energy as the races established their secluded domains:
- The Buddha Race: The Pure Land At the mountain where Amitabha’s body had fossilized, tens of thousands of disciples, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats gathered to chant ancient sutras. For days, the horns and battle drums of the Buddha's house echoed. The Joyful Buddha sang songs of purification to gather spiritual energy. Suddenly, the earth shook, and the entire giant mountain—Amitabha’s physical body—along with surrounding peaks, rose from the ground and soared into the clouds.
Vow: Amitabha’s soul echoed through the air: "Any sentient being who calls upon the name of Amitabha Buddha shall be saved, given a chance to turn back, and find a place in the Pure Land, never to fall into hell."
- The Asura Race: The Underground Kingdom Contrary to the Buddha Race, the Asura chose to delve deep into the earth, where gems and rare metals were abundant. They built a magnificent fortress-capital. This was a sanctuary for virtuous souls who died unjustly and carried unresolvable resentment.
Vow: "An eye for an eye, evil for evil. As long as injustice exists, the Asura Race will endure. To any who pray for righteous vengeance, Asura shall execute justice."
- The Dragon Race: Divine Dragon Flying Island The Dragon King and the Four Great Dragon Kings exercised their divine powers, lifting the entire Ancestral Dragon mountain range into the sky. The island, shrouded in thunder and mist, became an impregnable fortress.
Vow: "A Dragon's promise is heavier than stone; it shall be fulfilled even at the cost of life. For those who betray an oath with a Dragon, neither heaven nor earth shall grant them refuge!"
- The Yao Race: Myriad Beast Immortal Realm A thousand-meter-tall Divine Deer stomped the ground, causing a vast ancient forest to glow brilliantly and detach from the earth, becoming the Myriad Beast Immortal Realm. Here, flowers bloom in all four seasons, and spiritual energy is dense—a place for ten thousand Yao to cultivate.
Vow: "Ten thousand Yao from ten thousand realms are one family, advancing together, ascending together."
The Dragon King’s Scheme and the Passing of an Era
The other races were satisfied, but the Dragon Race was not. The Immortal Race still possessed ten floating islands, while each other race had only one. The Dragon King adopted the Immortal Race's method, establishing Immortal Cultivation Schools and recruiting the numerous New Humans to bolster his influence.
The first was the Shadow Unit. Green Shadow Dragon secretly influenced this organization, transforming the "Dragon Blood Cultivation"—previously a suicidal demonic art—into a clear school of practice called Dragon Essence Body Refining. By testing the purity of dragon blood (as Phong Tran found out, using the wrong bloodline like Red Dragon blood could be fatal at higher levels), the method was refined. Phong Tran, trained directly by Green Shadow Dragon, was forced to make this basic method public before he could receive further instruction. This caused the technique to spread rapidly. Before the council, the Dragon King had secretly released low-level criminal dragons and mindless, maddened dragons into the wild for humans to hunt and harvest blood, aiming to turn all New Humans into his subordinates.
Meanwhile, the Buddha and Asura races were in constant conflict due to their opposing views on retribution versus repentance. Neither had a large-scale plan to spread their ideology to the New Humans yet, focusing instead on the Ancient Human Race (6 fingers/toes) in the north and west.
For the Immortal Race, this pact was a significant loss. The Forest Gods, River Gods, and Mountain Gods (mostly Yao and Dragons) refused their management, opting for self-governance. To compensate, the Immortal Race made peace with the Yao Race, forming an equal alliance that allowed them to build immortal cities on the ground in previously forbidden forests.
The public Elemental Temples changed the world. Magic, once restricted to elite sects, was now accessible to everyone. This greatly benefited Rogue Cultivators and the Hundred Families—cultivator clans that had been expelled from sects.
As for Fourth Dragon Lady, she remained imprisoned in the 33-story tower, but First Dragon and his family were allowed to visit. Years later, she was released, and the Dragons of the Phoenix River moved to the far south to live in peace. First Dragon remained blessed by the Heavenly Dao as a River God and a Prophet, granted access to the Akashic Library.
King Star, exhausted by the toll of altering the Laws, passed away a year later. Seven Star was appointed as the temporary King by Queen Moon; if he serves for a hundred years without error, he will officially become the new King of the Immortal Race.
However, the change in the Heavenly Dao's Laws gave the wicked more time to repent. This inadvertently allowed those who were truly evil to grow even stronger. Darkness began to fester as the Ghost Race and Demon Race evolved into a new, silent threat to all the other races.