Douluo Dalu: Starting Evolution as the Man-Faced Demon Spider

More than half a month later, on a quiet night, Fang Chang returned to Whitewater City.

This trip to the Sunset Forest had been highly rewarding. Not only had his soul power reached 37,960 years, just a step away from breaking the 40,000-year threshold, but he had also devoured a large number of immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

While the effects of these herbs might not be immediately obvious, they would undoubtedly have a significant impact on his physique in the long run.

Additionally, he had gained several practical new skills, and his existing abilities had been upgraded, becoming even more powerful. These would all serve as major assets for him.

However, the Sunset Forest's resources were far inferior to those of the Star Dou Great Forest, and now they were nearly depleted. Staying there any longer wouldn't be of much use.

The purpose of his return was to head back to the Star Dou Great Forest to continue improving his strength. The previously shelved plan for the underground lair in Star Dou was also due to be revisited.

Humans were unreliable, after all. It was time to establish his own spider forces as soon as possible.

But before that, he wanted to take a quick look around Whitewater City. After all, this was where his Spider God Church had been born.

And then there was Tang Lin'er. She was so reckless—he wondered if she had been killed by someone by now.

As soon as he entered the city, he noticed something strange. While the homes of ordinary citizens seemed normal, almost everyone with even a hint of soul power seemed to be gathered in one particular place in the city.

Whitewater City wasn't large, so it didn't take Fang Chang long to arrive at the location.

The area was in the southern part of the city, and the streets outside felt somewhat familiar to him. However, the newly built temple in front of him was completely unfamiliar.

The temple's pillars were carved with various spiders, and at the center of the main hall stood a five-meter-tall spider statue that bore a slight resemblance to him… This must be the "Whitewater City Branch of the Spider God Church."

At the moment, the temple was bustling with activity. Whitewater City only had about two to three hundred Soul Masters, and now more than half of them were crammed inside.

At the front of the crowd, a young girl in white clothes held a butter-paper book with a pious expression, leading the group in reciting the scriptures in a soft, childlike voice.

Fang Chang immediately recognized her—it was Tang Lin'er. She was still alive?

"Spider is spider, yet not spider…"

After she finished reciting a line, the nearly two hundred Soul Masters in the audience repeated it in unison, creating a rather impressive scene.

But Fang Chang, standing outside the door, nearly choked. The scriptures he had casually made up to coax little kids were now being passionately recited by so many people, over and over again…

The feeling made him want to dig a hole and hide.

After a while, his face still red, Fang Chang continued to peer into the temple. The Soul Masters in Whitewater City weren't particularly strong, with the most powerful among them being only a Soul King.

As he watched, he noticed two human Soul Masters in the far-right corner of the crowd, wearing large cloaks.

Their cloaks completely covered their faces, and they too held butter-paper books, softly reciting along with Tang Lin'er.

Their aura was familiar to Fang Chang—they were none other than Bai Yu and Xue Wu, the two young Soul Masters from the Whitewater City branch of the Spirit Hall, whom he had encountered in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Spirit Hall members were now following the Spider God Church?

However, Fang Chang didn't immediately expose their identities. He remained in his "stealth" state, quietly observing from outside the door. He wanted to see what else these humans were up to!

As the birthplace of the Spider God Church, it had always enjoyed a solid "popular foundation" in Whitewater City.

Especially after the news spread that the night watchman of the "Heaven Dou City Branch of the Spider God Church" had received the Spider God's blessing, people flocked to the temple.

Many even put aside their daily tasks, sleeping during the day and coming here at night to recite scriptures and listen to the "glorious deeds" of the Spider God.

At first, these people had come solely for the Spider God's blessings. But as they listened, some began to genuinely believe in the existence of the Spider God, growing more and more devout.

Among them, the elderly and young children were the most fervent. Their spiritual worlds were largely empty, making them more susceptible to believing in these mystical tales.

When the atmosphere in the temple reached its peak, the lights suddenly went out. Then, a voice echoed in everyone's heart: "Do you desire power?"

The once-noisy temple fell completely silent. Then, someone started cheering, and soon the entire crowd erupted.

"We desire it!"

"Do you wish to believe in the Spider?"

"We do!"

"Then, receive the Spider God's blessing!"

As the voice faded, an ancient ring, suspended by a spider silk thread, descended from the ceiling and hovered in front of an old man in the back row.

The old man's hands trembled as he held the ring and injected his soul power into it. A flash of white light later, a soul tool appeared in his hand.

Overwhelmed with emotion, he knelt on the ground, kowtowing nine times to the air behind him, shouting, "Thank you, Great Spider God!"

The same scene repeated throughout the temple, starting from the back row. The ring moved from one person to the next, each receiving their blessing.

This continued until it reached the third-to-last row on the far right, where Bai Yu and Xue Wu were seated.

Just as the two of them were eagerly awaiting their turn, their cloaks were suddenly yanked open by an unseen force.

They tried to grab their cloaks, but the power was far beyond their comprehension, flipping them onto the ground and exposing their faces.

"Hey, isn't that Bai Yu and Xue Wu from the Spirit Hall? What are they doing here?" In a small city like Whitewater, their identities were quickly recognized, and they fled the temple in a panic.

Anyone could see that while the Spider God Church and the Spirit Hall didn't openly conflict, they were essentially secretly opposed, like two religions with different beliefs.

Moreover, the Spirit Hall was the most powerful force in the land. For their members to come seeking blessings from the Spider God Church was not only shocking but also deeply humiliating.

After they left, the blessings resumed as normal, and the remaining attendees all received the Spider God's blessings with satisfaction.

That night, the entire city celebrated. Almost every Soul Master who had come to the "Whitewater City Branch of the Spider God Church" received Fang Chang's blessing, except for Tang Lin'er and a few others who had already been blessed before.

With this done, Fang Chang left Whitewater City satisfied, heading back toward the Star Dou Great Forest.