NOVEL WEB Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Sunset Forest
"Beat up Bibi Dong!"
This phrase echoed throughout Baishui City, leaving Tang Liu, standing to the side, utterly pale.
"How did I end up with such a reckless daughter?!"
Surprisingly, Bibi Dong—though momentarily stunned—quickly regained her composure.
Given her status, how could she possibly take a ten-year-old child's words seriously?
As she observed Tang Lin'er, a thought crossed her mind.
This little girl, like herself, possessed twin martial souls.
And like her, one of them was a spider.
There were too many uncanny similarities between them.
"If only I had been as fearless as this little girl back then… maybe my fate would have been different."
To everyone's astonishment, Bibi Dong did not punish Tang Lin'er.
Instead, in front of the gathered crowd, she declared:
"I will protect this girl. Anyone who dares to lay a hand on her will be considered an enemy of the Spirit Hall."
Many had been eyeing Tang Lin'er, but the moment Bibi Dong spoke, they hesitated.
Tang Lin'er alone wasn't the issue.
Her father, Tang Liu, was just a minor figure.
But if dealing with her meant provoking the Spirit Hall, then it became a huge problem.
With the situation settled, Bibi Dong and her entourage departed.
Only then did people remember the Spider God's Messenger.
They searched the haunted house from top to bottom, even digging up the foundations—but found no trace of the so-called messenger.
It became the general consensus in Baishui City:
The Spider God's Messenger had left.
Somehow, a bold idea took root among the city's wealthier families.
Pooling their resources, they built a temple on the very spot where the haunted house once stood.
And right at the temple's center, they erected a statue—one modeled after Tang Lin'er's description of the Spider God's Messenger.
Before construction was even complete, they gave the temple an official name—
"The Baishui City Branch of the Spider God Sect."
They weren't fools, nor did most of them actually believe in the Spider God.
They simply saw it as an opportunity—a chance to curry favor with the mysterious Spider God's Messenger.
After all, those who had received the "blessing" gained unimaginable benefits.
They hoped that if they played along, fortune might smile on them as well.
This wasn't just happening in Baishui City.
Across the Heaven Dou Empire, sightings of the Spider God's Messenger began appearing in multiple cities.
At first, people dismissed them as hoaxes.
Or assumed they were imposters stirring up trouble.
But everywhere the messenger appeared, people received "Spider God's Blessings", and the stories matched up perfectly.
Before long, the events of Baishui City spread like wildfire across the empire.
The girl who had boldly shouted "Beat up Bibi Dong", Tang Lin'er, became a household name—a legendary figure among the people.
Soon enough, Spider God Sect temples popped up everywhere:
The Blackstone City Branch The Greenridge City Branch The Nuoding City Branch
Even in places where the messenger had never appeared, opportunists took advantage of the craze.
Thus, one temple after another was erected across the Heaven Dou Empire.
...
Under the night sky, Fang Chang unrolled the map of the Heaven Dou Empire—a map he had traded for using one of the "Spider God's Blessings."
Just ten more miles ahead, and he'd reach the Sunset Forest.
Glancing at the sky, he saw the first hints of dawn approaching.
His steps instinctively quickened.
Unaware of the chaos unfolding across the empire, Fang Chang had spent his nights traveling and his days avoiding the sun.
For him, this was just another step in the plan.
As the sun peeked over the horizon, he finally stood at the edge of Sunset Forest.
His eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Compared to the Star Dou Forest, the trees here were noticeably shorter, and the oxygen-rich scent of a dense forest was far less intense.
Observing carefully, he sensed an unusual division within the forest.
One side felt warmer—the trees short and thick, their leaves broad.
The other side felt colder—with tall, slender trees, mostly needle-leaved.
There was only one logical explanation—
The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
His gaze burned with anticipation.
He had two clear objectives:
Loot the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well before Tang San arrived. Devour more soul beasts to accelerate his evolution.
As the sun rose higher, he stepped into the forest, found a quiet spot, and opened the "system interface".
The evolution path panel appeared before him.
The further down the evolution tree, the more options became available.
But in reality, only a few were viable choices.
Evolution Path 1: Shadow Evil God Spider
Requirements: Soul power 30,000+ years 200,000 evolution points
Devour 1/10 of the same species
Rewards: Transformation in appearance
Significant attribute boost
Full recovery
Innate skill: "Tentacles"
"Not bad," Fang Chang thought.
This evolution met his basic needs—especially since it could further evolve into the Undying Evil Spider Emperor.
And the final form, the "Gentleman Spider", still intrigued him.
The species requirement likely referred to other spider-type soul beasts.
As for the 1/10 progress, he had already absorbed the Mother Earth Demon Spider before.
Then there was the skill...
"Tentacles? That sounds... kinda evil. But I guess it fits the name 'Evil God Spider.'"
Fang Chang smirked.
For now, he kept this option open.
Evolution Path 2: Death Spirit Spider
Requirements: Soul power 20,000+ years 150,000 evolution points
Rewards: Transformation in appearance
Significant attribute boost
Full recovery
Innate skill: "Necromantic Summon"
At first glance, this seemed decent.
But on closer inspection, it had too many flaws.
For one, the final form was only Demi-God level—a Dead God Spider Emperor.
That alone was a dealbreaker.
While "Necromantic Summon" sounded powerful, it wasn't worth the trade-off.
Next!
Evolution Path 3: Dominion Evil Spider
Requirements: Soul power 50,000+ years 300,000 evolution points
Devour 10,000 soul beasts (1173/10,000 progress)
Rewards: Transformation in appearance
Significant attribute boost
Full recovery
Innate skills: "Dominion" & "Blessing"
Fang Chang's eye twitched.
This offered the highest rewards.
But it could also evolve into "Mother of the Earth"—which meant…
"Wait, does that mean I have to... lay eggs?!"
"Damn it, system! Are you messing with me?!"
Still, it provided two innate skills, making it the most powerful option.
For now, he kept it in consideration.
Suddenly, a noise snapped him out of his thoughts.
Turning towards the source, he saw two scorpion-like soul beasts intertwined on the ground.
One was larger, dark brown, emitting heat.
The other was pink, with a flower-like marking on its head.
Their tails were entwined, engaged in some bizarre activity.
Fang Chang stared.
"Wait… are they… mating?!"