Hmm?
Fang Chang couldn't help but feel startled at the sight before him.
The Bloodwing Demon Spider was one of the stronger descendants in his lineage, and this particular one had reached a cultivation level of twenty thousand years.
Logically speaking, a Bloodwing Demon Spider of this level wouldn't necessarily lose even in a one-on-one fight against a fifty or sixty thousand-year-old Titan Giant Ape.
Yet now, it was being besieged by several Slimes—and was being forced into retreat!
With this thought in mind, Fang Chang continued observing the situation with his divine sense while swiftly moving toward the commotion.
There were four Slimes besieging the Bloodwing Demon Spider, each with a cultivation level of around ten thousand years.
The closer he got, the more he noticed that these Slimes seemed different from any he had encountered before. Though they retained the appearance of ordinary Slimes, their auras carried traces of other soul beasts.
The Bloodwing Demon Spider was already heavily injured, with one of its blood-red wings broken. It was on the verge of defeat against these four Slimes.
At this moment, Fang Chang's figure suddenly emerged from behind a large tree. With a flick of his spider leg, he pierced through one of the Slimes, reducing it to a puddle of pale blue liquid—completely lifeless.
The remaining three Slimes instinctively retreated upon seeing this enormous spider appear out of nowhere, immediately preparing to flee.
Ordinary Slimes were typically slow-moving, but these three each had their own methods.
One suddenly accelerated, as if wind had sprouted beneath it.
Another grew a pair of translucent wings, flapping them as if to take flight.
The last one was even more outrageous—it activated a skill similar to Fang Chang's "Stealth," its figure gradually fading from sight.
Witnessing this, Fang Chang grew even more certain that these Slimes were abnormal. Without hesitation, he spat out a venomous web, capturing them before they could escape.
Once that was done, he activated his "Spider God Domain," slowly healing the Bloodwing Demon Spider's injuries.
"Kid, tell me what's happened in the Star Dou Great Forest. Why are you all in such a miserable state?"
Fang Chang used telepathy to establish a mental link with the Bloodwing Demon Spider, transmitting his thoughts directly.
"You... who are you?"
The Bloodwing Demon Spider's mental voice was a mix of fear, confusion, and a faint glimmer of hope.
Most soul beasts that reached twenty thousand years of cultivation had developed some level of intelligence, especially those with bloodlines like the Bloodwing Demon Spider.
"I'm your ancestor."
Fang Chang's response was blunt and straightforward.
"Ancestor?"
The Bloodwing Demon Spider didn't fully grasp the term, but it vaguely understood that this incredibly powerful being before it must share some bloodline connection with itself.
"Answer my questions. I won't harm you—you know that much."
Fang Chang had no patience for lengthy explanations. He just wanted to know what was going on.
A day in the heavens is a year on earth.
He had spent nearly thirty years in the Divine Realm, which meant ten thousand years had passed in the Douluo World.
His bloodline was already extremely diluted in this Bloodwing Demon Spider. Add to that the naturally cold-hearted nature of spiders, and Fang Chang felt little emotional attachment to this descendant.
"Oh..."
The Bloodwing Demon Spider cautiously approached Fang Chang, glancing at the three Slimes trapped in the web, writhing in apparent agony. Instantly, it felt a surge of admiration for the giant spider before it.
Those were members of the most powerful soul beast race!
"Our spider race has always been skilled hunters, and our bloodline is strong. Other soul beasts see us as threats—they gang up on us whenever they find us."
The Bloodwing Demon Spider's tone carried a hint of grievance.
"In recent years, almost all the spider soul beasts I've known have died. If not for meeting you, Ancestor, I would've died too."
Fang Chang's spider face twisted into a human-like frown.
This sounded eerily similar to the plight of the Man-Faced Demon Spiders back in the day.
But even though he had taken the majority of the spider race away from the Douluo World, over a million had remained behind. Given their reproductive capabilities, their numbers should have recovered quickly.
How had they fallen to such a state?
Faced with his confusion, the Bloodwing Demon Spider scratched its head, utterly unable to answer. In its memory, the spider race had always faced such persecution.
Though its cultivation had reached twenty thousand years, this was solely due to its "Devour" innate skill. In reality, it had only lived for a few hundred years—how could it know more?
Forget it.
Seeing that he wouldn't get answers from this descendant, Fang Chang stopped pressing and turned his attention to the three Slimes.
From them, he sensed traces of other soul beasts' auras. Moreover, they seemed capable of using abilities that shouldn't belong to Slimes.
For example, the Slime that had used the "Stealth" skill carried a faint trace of the Shadow Evil Spider's aura—likely the source of that ability.
He picked up one Slime with his spider leg and, under the Bloodwing Demon Spider's stunned gaze, swallowed it whole. Then another.
Only after consuming the last Slime did a line of text—the one he had been waiting for—appear before his eyes.
[Devoured "Mutant Slime." Acquired additional skill: "Assimilation."]
Assimilation: Can absorb another soul beast and gain all of its abilities.
This...
Fang Chang was genuinely shocked.
These Slimes indeed possessed unique skills. Compared to his "Devour," this "Assimilation" had its own advantages.
"Devour" excelled at rapidly increasing cultivation, while "Assimilation" allowed the user to gain all the abilities of an absorbed soul beast.
What if one of these mutant Slimes absorbed a spider with the "Devour" skill?
A thought suddenly flashed through Fang Chang's mind.
Come to think of it, those old men earlier had mentioned that the Spider God's name was something like "Slime" or "Slithorn"...
The more he pondered, the more he began to understand what had happened in this world.
It was highly likely that, for some reason, the Slimes in the Douluo World had mutated, giving rise to these "Assimilation"-capable variants.
Among them, one must have absorbed a spider with the "Devour" skill—and then grown at an uncontrollable rate.
The further Fang Chang followed this train of thought, the more uneasy he became.
Back when he first arrived in the Douluo World, it had taken him less than twenty years to reach his current level of power.
But these mutant Slimes might have been operating in this world for ten thousand years. It wouldn't be surprising if some had surpassed even his strength.
Once the Bloodwing Demon Spider had mostly recovered, Fang Chang quickly retracted his Spider God Domain and instructed it to wait for him at the forest's outskirts.
Then, he reactivated his "Night Walker" skill and headed toward the Life Spring at the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest.
What he saw there shocked him to the core.
The Life Spring was filled with Slimes!
And deep within its waters, he could faintly sense several auras that had likely already reached god-level.