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

After devouring the Fire Cloud Rhino-Armored Bull, Fang Chang continued on his way, but this time he cautiously activated his "Stealth" state.

After all, this was already the third ring of the Star Dou Great Forest, where the likelihood of encountering powerful soul beasts was much higher than in the outer areas. If he were ambushed by a high-level soul beast lurking in the shadows, even he wouldn't fare well.

As Fang Chang walked, he suddenly sensed a powerful aura rapidly approaching from the south. He quickly maintained his "Stealth" state and hid behind a giant tree.

The aura grew stronger and closer, and soon a white figure came into view.

A Man-Faced Demon Spider? Fang Chang's expression grew strange as he observed the figure.

She was about four meters long, with eight spider legs each over five meters long. As she moved swiftly through the forest, the pattern on her abdomen, resembling a human face, became faintly visible.

These were the most distinctive features of a Human-Faced Demon Spider, but her color wasn't the usual purple-black. Instead, she was a pure, snow-white color.

She was a mutated Human-Faced Demon Spider, Fang Chang realized.

Race: Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen (Mutated)

Soul Power: 45,600 years

HP: 5,210/12,700

Strength: 2,693

Attack: 2,881

Defense: 2,345

Speed: 2,997 

Checking her stats confirmed it—she was indeed a mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen. Moreover, judging from the pheromones she emitted, she was female. Fang Chang was ecstatic!

However, this mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen didn't seem to be in good condition. She had several serious injuries, especially on her back, where a broken human sword was still embedded.

Her HP stat also supported Fang Chang's observation—it was less than half, clearly indicating she had just been through a fierce battle.

Seeing this, Fang Chang was puzzled. While Man-Faced Demon Spiders weren't top-tier soul beasts like the Titan Giant Ape, they were still among the stronger species.

This mutated Human-Faced Demon Spider Queen, with a soul power of over 45,000 years, should have few rivals in the Star Dou Great Forest. How could she have been injured so badly?

Moreover, judging from her wounds, it seemed she had been injured by humans, which was even more puzzling.

The mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen entered the forest where Fang Chang was hiding, found a dark spot, and her figure gradually blurred and disappeared.

Fang Chang was very familiar with this move—it was "Concealment," one of the signature skills of the Man-Faced Demon Spider and the precursor to his current "Stealth" skill, which had saved him many times.

Shortly after, three human Soul Masters rushed into the area. They were dressed in black robes, armed with weapons, and exuded a fierce aura.

Hmph! Three Soul Douluos. Quite the extravagant lineup.

With just a glance, Fang Chang could see their stats. They were indeed three Soul Douluo-level experts.

The strongest among them had reached level 87, while the weakest was level 82.

Their robes resembled those of the Spirit Hall. It seemed only they could afford to send three experts of this level into the Star Dou Great Forest at once.

Seeing them, Fang Chang immediately understood how the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider had been injured.

The three men carefully surveyed the area. They could sense that the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider they had been chasing for so long was nearby, but they couldn't pinpoint its exact location.

"This Man-Faced Demon Spider is so cunning. We searched for months before finding its trail, and then we chased it for three whole days, yet we still haven't managed to kill it," one of the black-robed Soul Douluos, a man with a scarred face, said in frustration.

"Enough, Scarface. If your sword strike had been accurate earlier, it wouldn't have escaped," the strongest of the three, a calm and composed man, chided him.

"I…" Scarface wanted to argue but couldn't find the words, so he swallowed his retort.

"Speaking of which, it's soul power must be at least forty or fifty thousand years. No wonder those three kids almost died at its hands," the third black-robed man interjected.

"Yes," the strongest man nodded. "According to the information they provided, this mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider can devour other soul beasts to enhance its own strength."

"If what they say is true, and it went from a few thousand years to forty or fifty thousand years in just a few months, that's terrifying."

They all agreed that it had to be eliminated as soon as possible.

After their conversation, the three men split up to search the forest. They were very familiar with the characteristics of the Man-Faced Demon Spider, so they focused their search on dark corners.

There weren't many such spots in this forest, and soon they approached where the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen was hiding.

Meanwhile, Fang Chang watched them from a distance, pondering his next move.

Three Soul Douluo-level humans would be difficult to deal with in a direct fight. But since they were in the open and he was hidden, with a 45,000-year-old mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen to exploit, it wasn't impossible to act.

After weighing the pros and cons, Fang Chang boldly decided to save the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen. After all, she was female.

With this in mind, Fang Chang cautiously moved closer, carefully avoiding the thick layer of fallen leaves on the ground.

At that moment, Scarface had already reached the spot where the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen was hiding. He thrust his broken sword toward the area.

Before the sword could land, the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen leaped out, one of her spider legs stabbing straight toward his throat.

Scarface quickly stepped back, turning his body to the right. His right hand gathered soul power and slammed toward the incoming spider leg.

The spider leg was deflected from its original path, grazing Scarface's face before embedding itself into the tree behind him.

A Soul Douluo-level expert had strong combat instincts. Scarface remained vigilant, making it difficult to ambush him.

Seeing her attack fail, the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen quickly retracted her leg and tried to flee. But at that moment, she received a telepathic message: "Come this way."

Her eight eyes blinked in confusion.

"Right, right!" Fang Chang quickly guided her again.

The mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen hesitated for a moment. Seeing the three human Soul Masters regrouping and charging toward her, she gritted her teeth and followed the mysterious voice's instructions, running to the right.

The three humans, focused entirely on the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen, immediately turned and chased after her.

By then, Fang Chang had already hidden himself in the area and continued to guide the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen. "Keep running, don't look back."

Although the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen was suspicious of the voice's owner, the situation was urgent. She instinctively followed the instructions and kept running.

The three human Soul Masters chased after her.

Scarface, being the closest, was the first to pursue her and remained in the lead.

The strongest black-robed man, with his ghostly movement technique, quickly caught up and was about to overtake Scarface.

About four or five meters behind them, the weakest Soul Master lagged.

But his attention was entirely on the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen, completely unaware of the danger beside him.

As he passed by the trunk of a giant tree, a black spider leg suddenly appeared out of nowhere, piercing his abdomen before he could react.

The Soul Master spat out a mouthful of blood, clutching the spider leg in his abdomen. As he tried to resist, more spider legs stabbed into his neck, back, and chest from different directions.

Then, a shield-shaped spider leg slammed into the back of his head, extinguishing his remaining consciousness. He collapsed limply to the ground.

"Blackie!" The other two Soul Masters noticed the commotion behind them and turned around.

They saw a black spider, its aura no weaker than the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen, with several spider legs embedded in their companion's body.

A Soul Douluo-level expert had died without even a chance to cry out.

"Damn it!" Hatred and fear made them momentarily forget their mission as they turned to attack the black spider.

"Don't just stand there, help!" Fang Chang, seeing the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen frozen in place, quickly sent another telepathic message.

She tilted her head. Had this black spider saved her? She finally understood.

Following the instructions, she turned around and charged at Scarface, who was closest to her.

Scarface, seeing the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen turning back to attack, didn't dare to be careless. He immediately turned to face her, leaving the strongest Soul Master to deal with Fang Chang alone.

Fang Chang breathed a sigh of relief. Watching the Soul Master charging toward him, he activated all his skills in an instant—Hardening, Fire Armor, Poison Mist…

Black smoke mixed with flames erupted from his body, shooting over ten meters into the air, creating a terrifying spectacle.

Fang Chang then charged forward, colliding head-on with the Soul Master. There was no finesse—just a brutal, direct clash.

The Soul Master's martial soul was a giant sword. He activated his Martial Soul True Body, merging with the sword, and clashed with Fang Chang.

Boom! A loud explosion echoed through the forest. The shockwave sent decades of accumulated leaves flying, and a large amount of soil was thrown into the air.

When the dust settled, Fang Chang staggered back a few steps. His armor was partially shattered, but his body was mostly unharmed.

The human Soul Master, however, wasn't so lucky. The impact forced him out of his Martial Soul True Body. His clothes were torn, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

In his fully powered state, Fang Chang's defense was comparable to that of a Titan Giant Ape for a brief moment.

Moreover, his "Blade Armor" skill provided a powerful counter-damage effect. How could a mere Soul Douluo withstand that?

Most of the Soul Master's injuries were actually from his own attack being reflected back at him.

He struggled to stand and escape, but he found his body covered in a sticky mucus that severely slowed his movements.

This was Fang Chang's "Slippery" skill, which had finally come in handy.

Seeing the Soul Master, now defenseless, Fang Chang walked straight toward him. As he passed by, a spider leg silently pierced the man's chest.

The last remaining Soul Master, Scarface, had completely lost his will to fight after witnessing the fate of his companions.

Facing two terrifying spider soul beasts, his fate was sealed. He didn't last long before falling to their combined assault.

After the battle, Fang Chang turned to the mutated Man-Faced Demon Spider Queen, about to speak, when he noticed an unusual blush spreading across her face.

"Thank you for saving me, my lord. Please allow me to bear your offspring," her voice echoed in Fang Chang's mind, startling him so much that he stumbled backward, nearly falling to the ground.