After the deaths of Da Ming and Er Ming, the other powerful soul beast races in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest lost their pillars of support and no longer dared to wage war against the Spider Clan.
Some hid deep in the forest to avoid the Spider Clan, while others migrated toward the forest's outskirts. Fang Chang seized the opportunity to lead his kin back to the Life Lake area, taking control of the Star Dou Great Forest's core region.
He had long realized that if the spiderlings were allowed to endlessly devour other soul beasts, it would inevitably trigger anomalies in the Star Dou Great Forest and provoke a sense of crisis among the other soul beasts. He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
Although they had achieved a temporary victory, Fang Chang knew it wouldn't last, and he didn't dare let his guard down.
As a transmigrator, he was well aware that the Star Dou Great Forest still harbored many formidable beings. However, they were currently preoccupied with absorbing a certain "big bug" and had no time to concern themselves with external affairs.
But if that "big bug" were to break free, or if the Spider Clan's actions became too disruptive, those powerful beings would surely take notice. At that point, the entire Spider Clan could be wiped out.
Additionally, the number of soul beasts above the ten-thousand-year level was limited, and the time required for an ordinary soul beast to reach that level was extremely long. If the population of high-level soul beasts rapidly declined, it would be difficult to replenish their numbers.
By then, human soul masters, unable to find suitable soul rings, would inevitably turn their attention to spider-type soul beasts, creating another major problem.
To prevent these future troubles and ensure the sustainable development of the Spider Clan, Fang Chang, after careful consideration, made an important decision—he would establish a set of rules for his kin.
These rules were roughly as follows:
1. Only spider clansmen above the fifty-thousand-year level were permitted to hunt ten-thousand-year soul beasts, and each spider was limited to hunting no more than one ten-thousand-year soul beast per year.
2. To hunt a ten-thousand-year soul beast, a spider must first kill a human soul master of at least Soul King rank.
3. Each year, Fang Chang would select a portion of spiders above the twenty-thousand-year level and send them to other soul beast forests to expand their territory.
4. Spider clansmen were forbidden from attacking human soul masters wearing spider insignias. Instead, they were to prioritize targeting those dressed in the attire of the Spirit Hall.
...
Naturally, there were some dissenting voices within the Spider Clan regarding these rules. However, given their generally low intelligence and Fang Chang's overwhelming strength, opposition was quickly suppressed.
His primary goal was to create more living space for other high-level soul beasts and mitigate the negative impact of the Spider Clan's rapid expansion.
Additionally, by eliminating a portion of high-level human soul masters, the demand for ten-thousand-year soul rings would decrease significantly. This would benefit not only the Spider Clan but also other ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
As for soul beasts below the ten-thousand-year level—such as thousand-year and hundred-year soul beasts—Fang Chang paid them little mind.
First, these soul beasts lacked intelligence and thus couldn't develop a sense of crisis. Second, their numbers were vast, and their growth cycles were relatively short. Even if the spiderlings feasted on them freely, the impact would be minimal.
Over the following months, Fang Chang did not actively publicize these rules to the ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
Yet, they gradually noticed that as long as they didn't provoke the spiders, the Spider Clan no longer hunted them in large packs as before.
Possessing some degree of intelligence, the ten-thousand-year soul beasts began to lower their guard against the Spider Clan. Slowly, they even started coexisting peacefully with the spiderlings.
In contrast, high-level human soul masters entering the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain soul rings increasingly found themselves besieged by spider-type soul beasts.
When this news spread, it immediately sparked heated discussions across the continent. Many turned their attention to the Spirit Hall and the previously victorious Spider God Church.
Strangely, the Spirit Hall seemed to ignore the rumors entirely, offering no response.
Meanwhile, the Spider God Church spread a different message—their Spider God Envoy had ventured into the Star Dou Great Forest, engaged in a fierce battle with the Spider King, and emerged victorious.
Following this, the Spider Clan promised that any human wearing the Spider God Church's insignia would not be attacked within the forest. However, they were also forbidden from hunting spider-type soul beasts.
Soon, followers of the Spider God Church in various cities began distributing insignias to soul masters willing to pledge allegiance to the church.
Initially, many were skeptical of these claims. But as more and more people tested the theory, they confirmed its validity—wearing the insignia indeed granted safe passage through the Star Dou Great Forest, even when encountering fearsome spider-type soul beasts.
As a result, the Spider God Church quickly gained a large number of nominal "followers" among soul masters. After all, as long as they continued cultivating, they would eventually need to enter the Star Dou Great Forest for soul rings.
Having a Spider God Church identity provided an extra layer of safety, making joining the Spirit Hall seem far less appealing in comparison.
The Spirit Hall watched this development with growing anxiety but could do little to stop it.
They had already learned of the total annihilation of their forces sent to Sea God Island. Worse yet, their strongest member, Grand Worship Qian Daoliu, had yet to make an appearance.
Some even suspected that he, too, had fallen victim to the Spider God Church.
Thus, while voices within the Spirit Hall clamored for retaliation against the church, no one stepped forward when it came to assigning the task. The matter was reluctantly shelved for the time being.
Taking advantage of this temporary peace, the once-suppressed Spider God Church resurged. Destroyed shrines in major cities were quietly rebuilt.
This time, however, the sponsors of these shrines avoided drawing attention, instead secretly contacting the Spider God Church's followers.
They sought to curry favor with the rising church while fearing reprisal from the Spirit Hall. Watching this unfold, Fang Chang couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
Humans truly were the most hypocritical and materialistic species in the world.
Unlike spiders—so simple, so pure, acting only for the sake of survival!
Amid the undercurrents sweeping the continent, Fang Chang, having largely resolved the issues in the Star Dou Great Forest, selected a group of capable spiderlings and set off for the Sunset Forest.
With the Spider Clan now unified in the Star Dou Great Forest and internal competition growing fiercer, it was time to establish a new territory—such as the Sunset Forest.
And Fang Chang himself had some important business to attend to there.