Deep in the Star Dou Forest, countless soul beasts scattered in panic at the sight of the approaching spider army.
The spider forces remained undeterred, scaling mountains and fording rivers as they advanced relentlessly toward the forest's heart. Along the way, they snatched up slower-moving soul beasts as food.
As they neared the Life Spring Lake, winged soul beasts and intelligent ten-thousand-year-level creatures raced ahead to spread the warning.
The deeper regions of the forest stirred as ten-thousand-year soul beasts began gathering—a massive clash between spider-kind and the united soul beasts was imminent.
Though Fang Chang hadn't anticipated this exact scenario, it didn't surprise him. His spider army moved in perfect formation: five spiders per squad, five squads per column, with over three thousand spiders arranged in more than a hundred disciplined ranks.
They looked less like a swarm of spiders and more like a meticulously trained human army.
Xiao Bai had clearly put tremendous effort into training them during his absence—no small feat without telepathic communication.
When they reached the border between the forest's second and third rings, the ground began trembling under approaching footsteps.
Fang Chang immediately ordered his forces to fan out, forming a funnel-shaped encirclement to meet the incoming soul beast horde.
Soon, the enemy appeared—a mix of familiar foes like Ghost Tigers and Giant Ape Demons, alongside species Fang Chang had never encountered.
Though this temporary alliance numbered three to four hundred ten-thousand-year soul beasts—superior in raw strength—their formation was chaotic.
They resembled a pack of stray dogs herded together, utterly lacking coordination or fighting spirit.
Fang Chang held his forces back, waiting until the disorganized enemy closed within five hundred meters—optimal range for webbing attacks.
Then, he gave the order.
Thousands of webs shot skyward, raining down on the chaotic beast army.
The result was pandemonium.
Soul beasts scrambled in all directions, trampling each other in their panic. The more they struggled, the more entangled they became.
In moments, two-thirds of the enemy forces were immobilized—only a few dozen on the flanks remained free.
Those survivors hesitated, unwilling to charge alone.
Seizing the advantage, Fang Chang commanded a full assault.
His spiders moved with precision, five-member squads swarming each remaining foe just as they'd trained. Where individual strength fell short, teamwork and tactics prevailed.
Some clever beasts immediately fled deeper into the forest, abandoning their trapped allies.
This further tilted the scales—each remaining soul beast now faced three or four spider squads simultaneously.
Fang Chang joined the fray, activating his "Spider God Domain" to amplify his forces while personally targeting the strongest resisters.
The six-to-seven-thousand-year leaders fell quickly under his overwhelming power.
With their champions dead, the remaining beasts' morale shattered. More fled, and the battle turned into a rout.
Fang Chang let the escapees go, turning instead to the webbed prisoners.
Remarkably, the entire engagement had lasted barely ten minutes.
Most trapped soul beasts remained helpless—only a few exceptionally strong or physically gifted types had broken free.
Expanding his body with elastic flexibility, Fang Chang blanketed the captives in toxic mist.
While soul beasts generally resisted poison better than humans, these victims had no defense against Fang Chang's potent venom.
Most perished swiftly; the survivors barely clung to life.
Only then did Fang Chang unleash his spiders to feast—he reserved nothing for himself.
At his current level, these ten-thousand-year souls offered negligible gains, but for his offspring, they were invaluable growth resources.
Stronger spiders meant a stronger army—simple arithmetic.
Under his Spider God Domain's healing effects, injured spiders recovered rapidly as their kin devoured the spoils.
This victory—so different from past defeats—came down to three factors: Fang Chang's human strategic mind, his overwhelming personal power, and the Spider God Domain's battlefield support.
Within half an hour, the spider army had consumed every captive.
Thanks to their Devour ability, their overall strength surged—over a dozen more spiders broke through to the ten-thousand-year threshold.
With the path cleared, Fang Chang led his forces onward toward their final objective: the Life Spring Lake, domain of Da Ming and Er Ming.
There, the true battle awaited.