A Thousand-Year-Old Lotus, Spiritual Qi Revival, and Beast Taming: Slaying the Asura from the Start

In one small world among the three thousand great thousand worlds, there stood an ancient divine tree. Its roots stretched through the Four Great Continents and the Eight Lesser Continents. The roots beneath Jambudvipa, where Earth lay, were the densest, because the people there were brave, mindful, and devoted to pure conduct, qualities that nourished the tree. Its massive trunk passed through the Asura Realm, while its towering crown grew in Heaven. Only the beings of Heaven could enjoy the spiritual fruit it bore. Eating it granted eternal life and brought one’s cultivation to perfection. So the beings of the Asura Realm often climbed the trunk to reach Heaven and seize the fruit, and the two realms were constantly at war.

Yet the Asura Realm was repeatedly beaten back. To prevent the fighting from flaring up so often, Heaven proposed a deal: the Asura Realm would offer beautiful women in exchange for a small number of fruits. The Asuras agreed, and in return the two realms enjoyed a long period of peace.