Just under ten miles from the Life Lake, Fang Chang suddenly ordered his spider army to halt. Not long after, violent tremors erupted from that direction.
Soon, a towering giant ape, standing dozens of meters tall with a body as massive as a small mountain, appeared in their line of sight.
Following closely behind was a blue serpent with the head of a bull and a body no smaller than the giant ape—the Sky Azure Bull Python.
Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python... Fang Chang recognized them immediately.
Behind them marched hundreds of soul beasts, each with at least ten thousand years of cultivation. Their power and formation far surpassed the previous wave of beasts.
This must be nearly all the ten-thousand-year soul beasts left in the Star Dou Great Forest now, Fang Chang mused.
"It's them," Xiao Bai whispered in the language of the Man-Faced Demon Spider, pressing close to Fang Chang. "They're the ones who drove us out of the forest's core and slaughtered our kin."
Fang Chang nodded. He had long marked these two as targets, and now, he finally had the strength to face them.
As hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, Da Ming and Er Ming possessed considerable intelligence. Their strength commanded respect, and the beast horde followed them obediently, unlike the chaotic stampede earlier.
Their gazes swept over the spider army before locking onto Fang Chang at its center.
Who is this strange spider? Never seen him before. Is he the reason these spiders dared invade the core again?
The two exchanged glances, confusion flashing in their eyes. But the battle was inevitable. If left unchecked, these spiders would become a plague upon the forest.
Their resolve hardened, and they advanced cautiously, ready for any surprises.
"Release the webs!"
At Fang Chang's command, over three thousand spiders spat their silk when the enemy was five to six hundred meters away.
But Da Ming and Er Ming were prepared.
The Sky Azure Bull Python reared up, its eyes glowing azure. Time seemed to slow—even the falling webs drifted lazily.
Seizing the moment, Er Ming clenched its fists, compressing the air into a shockwave. With a roar, it launched the blast skyward, scattering most of the webs.
Though some still entangled the beast horde, it was nothing compared to the previous ambush.
Undeterred, the soul beasts pressed forward.
Fang Chang remained calm. While ordering the spiders to maintain formation, he gathered all ten-thousand-year spiders behind him.
As the enemy closed within a hundred meters, Fang Chang lunged at the two leaders.
"Now!"
His mental command triggered the elite spiders. As he engaged Da Ming and Er Ming, they unleashed another web barrage, cutting off the two from their army.
Fang Chang's form blurred, splitting into three clones. All four spiders shrouded themselves in black mist and flames as dragon roars amplified their power.
Blade Armor. Harden. Adhesive Slime...
Skills stacked as the four spiders clashed with the titans.
Da Ming bellowed, blue lightning coursing over its scales. Countless bolts lanced toward the spider illusions.
Er Ming smashed the ground, hurling boulders like meteors.
Fang Chang let the clones dissipate under the assault while his true body spat a venomous net at Da Ming before ramming Er Ming.
The python twisted, redirecting its lightning to incinerate the web—
But it underestimated a 400,000-year spider's silk.
The lightning barely singed the strands before the net ensnared Da Ming, immobilizing it temporarily.
Meanwhile, Fang Chang collided with Er Ming, sending the ape flying with pure brute force—no skills, just overwhelming power.
At 430,000 years, Fang Chang's strength dwarfed Er Ming's, just as the ape had once dominated him at the cliff.
Then Fang Chang activated "Flexible Size," swelling to his full size. Looming over Er Ming, he raised a leg—
And brought it down like a god's hammer.
Er Ming reeled from the impact—never in its life had it been overpowered so completely.
Before it could recover, a spider leg thicker than its waist came crashing down. The ape barely rolled aside, the shockwave sending dirt flying.
But Fang Chang didn't let up.
Thud! Thud! THUD!
Each strike cratered the earth, forcing the mighty Titan Giant Ape to dodge like a panicked rodent in a deadly game of whack-a-mole.
Through the venomous web, Da Ming watched its brother's humiliation, thrashing violently—only to tighten the bonds further.
The ten-thousand-year soul beasts behind them froze. Some began edging backward; others slithered into the shadows, ready to flee.
Then—CRUNCH.
A direct hit.
Er Ming's torso caved under Fang Chang's leg, half-buried in soil. Blood gushed from its mouth as its aura dimmed.
But Fang Chang wasn't done.
Lift. Stomp. Lift. Stomp.
Injured and sluggish, the ape could only endure the relentless battering.
Then Fang Chang shifted, bracing on four hind legs while the other four pummeled Er Ming like a boxer demolishing a sandbag.
Snap! Splurt!
Bones shattered. Flesh ruptured. Blood arced dozens of meters.
The soul beast army collectively flinched, retreating further.
Da Ming finally tore free—only to be kicked aside like trash.
With Er Ming broken, Fang Chang finally ceased his torture.
His maw unhinged, biting off half the ape's shoulder and an arm in one gulp. No chewing—just swallowing.
Next, he ripped into its abdomen, devouring organs and meat alike.
Er Ming's eyes glazed over, not with hatred, but exhaustion—a final surrender to despair.
"NOOO—!"
Da Ming's grief mutated into something darker. A violent energy swelled within it.
Self-destruction.
The remaining beasts scattered in terror.
Fang Chang's eyes narrowed. In a flash, his fangs sank into Da Ming's upper spine—
CRACK.
The python split in two.
The detonation fizzled.
Yet snake-like resilience kept both halves writhing. The head half glared with undying hatred, as if branding Fang Chang's image into its soul.
Amused, Fang Chang impaled the segment on a leg, dragging it beside Er Ming's corpse—forcing Da Ming to watch as he feasted on its brother's remains.
Then he slurped the lower half like a grotesque noodle before finally consuming the staring head.
Thus fell the twin kings of Star Dou Forest—
Not in glory, but as meals for a rising predator.