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

To the north of Sun Moon City, this entire region had once been a forbidden zone for the vast majority of the Sun Moon Empire's citizens.

Most of the area was occupied by the royal family of the Sun Moon Empire. Aside from that, it also housed the headquarters of the Holy Spirit Sect and the residences of several high-ranking officials.

However, ever since Fang Chang caused a major upheaval here last time, both the Holy Spirit Sect and the royal family had been living in fear, worried that the mysterious powerhouse would return to settle scores.

Because of this, the Holy Spirit Sect had gone into hiding in an underground cellar beneath a dried-up well, while the royal family evacuated the city, temporarily abandoning Sun Moon City.

Now, this area had ironically become a paradise for wandering soul masters.

Back when the royal family still held control, they had plundered countless cultivation resources and rare treasures from across the empire. But due to the sudden evacuation, they hadn't been able to take everything with them.

The guards left behind to defend the royal city didn't hold out for long before being overrun by the roaming soul masters, who then took the opportunity to play at being emperors.

After emerging from the dried-up well, Fang Chang and Gu Yue came directly to this area, treating it as the prime suspect in their search.

Outside the royal city, a group of wandering soul masters noticed that only the two of them had come, and yet they dared trespass into the imperial grounds. Instantly, their alertness rose.

"Boss, look over there..." This particular group was clearly stronger than the average riffraff outside.

Several among them were Soul Kings and Soul Emperors. Their leader was even a Soul Sage—if not for that, they wouldn't have dared to occupy the royal city.

"Hold up. Let's see what they're here for." The leader was a scar-faced man with a fierce expression.

Originally bandits based in the mountains outside Sun Moon City, they had rushed into the city only after the royal family's control collapsed. They were here to loot, not to pick fights.

"Fang Chang, the royal city is enormous. Where should we start?" Gu Yue spread out her divine sense briefly. The area once occupied by the royal family took up roughly a fifth of the entire city. Searching such a vast area was going to be a massive undertaking.

Especially now that the place was crawling with rogue soul master groups—over a hundred of them, large and small.

The Goddess of Life and the others could be hiding in some concealed location, or perhaps even disguised among these soul masters, just waiting for Fang Chang and Gu Yue to lower their guard before slipping away again.

"I think—" Fang Chang was just about to speak when an unpleasant voice interrupted him.

"Hey, who're you with? Don't you know the royal city's already been divided up? If you want a piece of the pie, you gotta—"

Before he could finish, Gu Yue turned her head and glared at him. The sheer pressure in her gaze almost made the little lackey collapse on the spot.

Just as he said, the rogue groups had carved up the city and were looting their respective territories. Any newcomers hoping to get a share would first need to prove themselves and force an existing group to give up their claim.

Gu Yue had never liked humans to begin with, and right now she was especially on edge because of the Goddess of Life. This guy had picked the worst possible time to speak up.

"Hmph, asking who we're with?" Gu Yue muttered coldly. With a flick of her sleeve, the Soul Ancestor-level lackey was sent flying a dozen meters, crashing into the outer wall of the royal city.

But even after all that, he didn't fall down. On closer inspection, Gu Yue's force had embedded him directly into the wall.

"Are you looking for trouble?" The rest of the lackey's group, seeing their comrade knocked away, immediately surrounded Fang Chang and Gu Yue, forming a semicircle to trap them.

"Heh, how amusing." Gu Yue, burning with frustration, finally had an outlet. She stomped the ground, and a surge of force tore up a massive chunk of the royal city's solid floor and hurled it at the group.

They had never seen such overwhelming power. Though they tried to scatter, more than half were crushed to death beneath the debris.

The other groups of soul masters near the city gate watched the carnage with a mix of awe, sympathy, and schadenfreude.

If these poor bastards hadn't taken the hit first, the rest might've ended up the same way.

These soul masters weren't allies—in fact, they were all competitors now.

No one dared seek justice for the fallen group. On the contrary, they quickly pulled their own people back, intent on staying far away from the clearly dangerous newcomers.

"Let's head inside. Even if the Goddess of Life and the others are hiding their strength, they wouldn't be among garbage like this." Fang Chang sneered, glancing at the soul masters fleeing in terror.

"Mhm." Gu Yue shared the sentiment, nodding as she grabbed Fang Chang's hand and continued forward into the city.

This time, none of the rogue groups dared provoke them, allowing the pair to pass through unimpeded.

As the saying goes: "While the gates of the noble overflow with wine and meat, the bones of the frozen line the roads." The royal city's architecture was imposing and elegant, blending traditional grandeur with a touch of modern technology.

Even the city's grand gate was a high-grade soul tool—though now it hung askew.

A group of soul engineers had dug out most of the wall on both sides, apparently intending to pry the gate off and take it away. One could only imagine what the Sun Moon Empire's royals would feel if they saw this scene.

Like most imperial capitals, despite its vast size, the royal city wasn't overly dense. A central avenue ran straight toward the city's heart.

Fang Chang and Gu Yue walked along this main road, appearing casual and unhurried from a distance.

Yet with each step, they seemed to teleport several kilometers forward. In the blink of an eye, they neared the city's core.

The soul master presence here was clearly several times stronger than outside, with even Title Douluo-level powerhouses among them.

Fang Chang and Gu Yue had to focus more intently now, carefully observing each soul master to see if they might be connected to the Goddess of Life or hiding their true strength.

Unfortunately, they hadn't spotted any suspicious figures thus far.

As they neared the central palace, another group of soul masters suddenly blocked their way.

Though not individually powerful, they clearly had large numbers stationed behind them—probably one of the dominant forces in the city.

"Stop right there! Any further and you'll be trespassing on our territory! Are you trying to start a fight with the Pearl—"

Before the lackey could finish, Gu Yue raised her hand to swat them away. Small fry like these weren't worth her time.

But this time, Fang Chang—who had never stopped her before—reached out and blocked her hand. "Wait, don't act rashly. These are acquaintances of mine."

Just then, a graceful figure in a red dress spotted the commotion near the central palace and turned her gaze their way. A crisp voice rang out from afar:

"Well, if it isn't little brother Fang Qi! You've finally returned!"

The speaker was none other than Zhu Jing, the Pavilion Master of Pearl Ocean Pavilion, who had crossed paths with Fang Chang a few times before. At her side, Zhu Zhu also came rushing out.