Several days passed beyond the scheduled return date, yet the soul master army showed no signs of emerging from the forest. The Heaven Dou Empire's stationed troops finally ventured cautiously into the Star Dou Great Forest, only to discover a scene straight from hell - thousands of human soul master skeletons piled in the outer regions, their flesh completely devoured.
The Heaven Dou forces immediately withdrew, retreating another ten miles and maintaining high alert for three more days before returning to the capital. The news that not a single soul master had survived the expedition sent shockwaves across the continent.
The various sects who had sent their members wailed in grief. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's situation was particularly tragic. As the leading soul master sect that had organized this campaign, they had committed nearly all their elite forces. Not only had they lost Sword Douluo, their last Titled Douluo, but also their sect leader and her fiancé. The once-great sect now found itself leaderless with only three to five hundred members remaining, and the Ning family bloodline nearly extinct. Even if the sect survived, it would never reclaim its position among the top three sects again.
The Spider God Cult offered solemn condolences and donated cultivation resources as aid. Simultaneously, they secretly installed a devoted cult follower as the sect's temporary administrator, effectively taking control.
With Heaven Dou's soul masters already decimated from previous conflicts with the Spirit Hall and now this disaster, the Spider God Cult became the undisputed power in Heaven Dou's soul master world. Fang Chang now turned his attention to the Star Luo Empire.
While maintaining his position in Harbor City, Fang Chang secretly ordered the Golden Three Sisters' Sea Spider Clan to move toward Star Luo's coastline. He also quietly returned to the Star Dou Great Forest, instructing Xiao Bai to prepare the spider army for their next campaign.
Perhaps because the Spider God Cult had become Heaven Dou's state religion, the Dai family of Star Luo had always viewed it with suspicion, restricting its development there. Their attitude toward soul beasts was equally aggressive - Fang Chang's attempts to drive forest beasts into Star Luo territory to create "beast tides" had all been forcefully suppressed by their military.
Having long lost patience with these stubborn opponents, Fang Chang now focused fully on Star Luo with Heaven Dou's threats eliminated.
About half a month later, the Golden Three Sisters led the Sea Spider Clan in a sudden landing along Star Luo's largest river, the Star Luo River, advancing westward. The Dai family responded by deploying most of their military forces to suppress the invasion.
Just as these troops were being relocated, unprecedented disaster struck from the Star Dou Great Forest - the largest beast tide in recent years emerged. Unlike previous incidents limited to border cities, this horde marched straight toward the Star Luo imperial capital...
Chaos engulfed the capital, even within the Dai family.
"Father, your son volunteers to lead troops with Zhuyun to intercept the beasts from Star Dou," declared Dai Weisi, Dai Mubai's elder brother. "If we can hold them off until reinforcements arrive from the eastern front, the capital's siege can be lifted."
Since Dai Mubai's return from Heaven Dou, the brothers have been locked in rivalry. Without access to immortal herbs or outstanding performance in the soul master tournament due to Fang Chang's interference, Dai Mubai had been consistently outmaneuvered. If Dai Weisi successfully resolved this crisis, he would cement his position as crown prince.
"Father, please reconsider!" Dai Mubai objected. "These beasts have advanced over three hundred miles in three days, overcoming all our defenses. Frankly, our remaining forces cannot stop them. Recalling troops from the Star Luo River would leave it undefended, allowing sea soul beasts to invade the capital. I propose temporarily evacuating the capital and relocating citizens south until the beast tide passes."
"Little brother, where is your backbone?" Dai Weisi sneered. "If all Dai descendants were this cowardly, our empire wouldn't last long. No ruler in history has surrendered their capital to mere beasts. Following your advice would disgrace our father's legacy regardless of outcome - what ulterior motives do you harbor?"
"You dare question my loyalty?" Dai Mubai shot back angrily. "With barely 8,000 capital guards and at most 50-60,000 reinforcements available nearby, how can we stop beasts that have smashed through 100,000 troops? Do you think of yourself as equal to tens of thousands of soldiers?"
"Should we just let them slaughter citizens and destroy noble properties?" Dai Weisi countered. "The capital symbolizes our dynasty's power - can you bear the consequences of its fall?"
"Enough!" The Star Luo emperor rubbed his temples. "This requires careful deliberation with our generals."
"But father, the beasts approach rapidly!" Dai Mubai pleaded until sternly silenced.
As Dai Weisi smirked at his brother's chastisement, Dai Mubai could only leave to petition the generals directly.
Meanwhile, approximately 170 miles from the capital, a humanoid shadow descended into the beast horde. Moments later, the creatures' advance accelerated dramatically, charging toward the imperial city with renewed fury.