After the matter concerning Tang San was settled, Fang Chang had been living in seclusion within the Star Dou Great Underground Nest, quietly waiting for the right opportunity to arrive.
His current soul power had stabilized at over 990,000 years—just one step away from crossing the one-million-year threshold. Once he did, he would evolve into the Undying Evil Spider Emperor.
Strangely, the final step of evolution had become straightforward: one million years of soul power and one million evolution points. What once seemed an insurmountable goal was now within his grasp.
But he knew now was not the time. Once he became a million-year soul beast, the Divine Realm would undoubtedly take action.
Moreover, evolving into the Undying Evil Spider Emperor would allow him to create his own godhood. At that point, he would no longer be able to remain in the Douluo Continent for long. And once he ascended to the Divine Realm, he would inevitably become a target for the gods.
At the same time, the Spirit Hall, which had been dormant for a long time, had recently become active again. Their figures frequently appeared in the rebuilding Star Luo Empire, attempting to compete with the Spider God Cult for territory.
After the fall of the Dai family, the Spider God Cult had swiftly entered the Star Luo Empire, installing a distant relative of the Dai family as the new emperor and secretly expanding their influence.
Strangely enough, the soul beasts that had been wreaking havoc in the Star Luo Empire retreated peacefully to the Star Dou Great Forest as soon as the Spider God Cult arrived, as if they feared them.
The people of the Star Luo Empire, devastated by the catastrophe, saw the Spider God Cult as their lifeline, and the cult's influence among the populace continued to rise.
---
"Speak. What do you want me to do this time?"
In an underground palace at the border between the Star Dou Great Forest and Spirit Hall territory, two cloaked figures met in secret.
The speaker's voice carried a noble air—it was none other than Bibi Dong. When she learned that her schemes had been exposed and that the two empires had preemptively declared war on Spirit Hall, she realized her dream of unifying the continent had been shattered.
As a true mastermind, however, she was quick to adapt. She set aside her ambitions for the time being and focused on completing her godhood inheritance.
Especially after encountering Fang Chang on the battlefield that day, the two had reached an unspoken understanding. Since then, they had occasionally met like this.
"This time, I do indeed need Your Holiness's help with a small matter." Fang Chang didn't mince words. "It's about Spirit Hall's recent activities in the Star Luo Empire. I'm afraid my subordinates might act rashly and harm our... cordial relations."
In their private agreement, there was a clause stating that as long as Spirit Hall refrained from causing trouble, Fang Chang would ensure they wouldn't be attacked again.
Though Bibi Dong despised Spirit Hall, she hadn't yet attained godhood, and the organization still held some value for her. Moreover, if Spirit Hall were destroyed now, her position would become precarious.
"Those are people sent by the Elder Hall. That old fool Qian Daoliu still dreams of restoring Spirit Hall's former glory. I can't interfere too much in their affairs." Bibi Dong's voice was cold as she took a seat in the underground palace.
"If you want to deal with them, go ahead. With Spirit Hall's current strength, we wouldn't dare clash head-on with your Spider God Cult anyway."
"If things reach a critical point, I'll do my best to suppress some of the old fools on my side. The conflict won't escalate."
"Oh? With Your Holiness's assurance, I can rest easy." Fang Chang chuckled and sat beside her.
He knew exactly how much Bibi Dong hated Spirit Hall. To her, it was nothing more than a tool—she cared little for the lives of its members.
With a glance, Fang Chang sensed that her aura was now on par with Qian Daoliu's in his prime. She had likely reached Rank 99 as well.
More importantly, he detected a faint but intimidating presence emanating from her—one that even he had to be wary of.
"Your progress is remarkable, Bibi Dong. How far along are you in the Rakshasa Nine Trials?" This was what truly concerned him.
"The ninth trial." To his surprise, she answered without hesitation.
"Ah, so it won't be long now." Fang Chang nodded.
Over the years, he had subtly fed her information about the Douluo Divine Realm—such as how the Rakshasa God she was inheriting belonged to the faction of Malevolent Deities, opposed to the Asura God, and lived a difficult existence in the Divine Realm.
He also claimed that the godhood he would inherit belonged to the same faction, and that once they ascended, they would need to join forces against their enemies.
This wasn't entirely a lie—in reality, the Rakshasa God was indeed suppressed by the Asura God in the Divine Realm.
In the original timeline, even after becoming the Rakshasa God, Bibi Dong had been powerless against Tang San after he inherited the Asura God's power.
Bibi Dong had likely gleaned some of this information from the Rakshasa Trials herself, which was why someone as shrewd as her was willing to cooperate with Fang Chang.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two parted ways.
---
With Bibi Dong now under his influence, Fang Chang turned his attention to Qian Renxue. Unlike Bibi Dong, she was less experienced and had already been indoctrinated by him. Convincing her to join their fight against the gods in the future wouldn't be difficult.
These two would be among the few allies Fang Chang could rely on once he entered the Divine Realm. Now, he was simply waiting for them.
With this matter settled, Fang Chang returned to the Star Dou Great Forest. He lingered by the Lake of Life for a long time but ultimately didn't dare enter directly.
Aside from Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue, the other potential ally he could seek was the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, who slumbered beneath the lake.
He wasn't sure if her consciousness had fully awakened yet, but entering now would provoke attacks from the other powerful soul beasts—the risk was too great.
---
While Fang Chang prepared for his eventual ascent to the Divine Realm, chaos had already erupted among the gods, who were holding an emergency meeting.
"That spider has gone too far! The Divine Realm must punish him!" The Sea God was the first to speak, his voice filled with hatred.
Fang Chang had not only ruined the Sea God's carefully designed trials but had also taken over his former domain, expelled his worshippers, and even renamed Sea God Island to Spider God Island. The humiliation had made the Sea God a laughingstock in the Divine Realm.
If not for the Divine Realm's laws, he would have long since descended to deal with Fang Chang personally.
"Sea God, you're letting personal grievances cloud your judgment. Interfering with lower planes is strictly forbidden—have you forgotten our most fundamental rule?" A god who held a grudge against the Sea God immediately countered.
"You—! If someone took over your domain and gave it a mocking name, let's see how you'd react!" The Sea God pointed at him furiously.
The other god seized the opportunity to taunt him further. "At least my followers aren't as useless as your Sea Soul Masters. They wouldn't give anyone the chance."
"Enough." The Asura God's voice silenced the room. As one of the Divine Realm's law enforcers, his authority commanded respect.
"The real issue is whether this spider poses a threat to the Divine Realm that warrants intervention."
"I don't think it's necessary. Soul beasts cannot become gods. No deity would ever pass their godhood to one. As long as he remains a soul beast, he's no threat," another god argued.
But then, a different voice interjected. "Have you forgotten about the Dragon God?"
The moment those words were spoken, the gods shuddered. Even after all these years, the Dragon King's legacy still haunted them.
"The Dragon God... that was an exception," the first god insisted, still reluctant to act against Fang Chang.
"I still don't believe he can become a god."
Though the gods could observe events in the Douluo Continent, they knew nothing of Fang Chang's "system." Most still believed godhood was beyond his reach.
"Even if he can't become a god, should we just let him run rampant in the lower plane?" The Sea God refused to let the matter drop.
---
The debate dragged on with no resolution.
Finally, the Asura God spoke again. "This is getting us nowhere. The Sea God does have a point—allowing a spider to dominate a lower plane unchecked is unwise."
"But the Divine Realm's laws exist for a reason. If we make an exception today, soon every god will want to meddle in the lower planes, and chaos will follow."
His tone grew stern. "Therefore, I propose we let the Sea God handle this. Under the conditions that his true form does not descend and that he does not excessively interfere, he may deliver an appropriate punishment to the spider."
"What does everyone think?"
Though the Asura God's words seemed fair, they heavily favored the Sea God while silencing opposition. It was a cunning move.
Fang Chang had killed two of the Asura God's chosen successors, destroyed the Slaughter City—the site of his inheritance trials—and declared it a forbidden zone, cutting off his lineage of inheritors.
The Asura God loathed Fang Chang for this, though he was far more composed than the hot-headed Sea God.
"Excellent! I support this proposal!" The Sea God was overjoyed.
In the end, under the Asura God's guidance, the Divine Realm passed the motion to punish Fang Chang.
Thus, turmoil was set to return to the Douluo Continent.