After cleaning up the battlefield, Fang Chang and Little Gold returned to the sunken ship. After enduring successive wars, the Sea Spider tribe had rapidly dwindled in size, losing the grandeur they once had.
Now, only about forty Sea Spiders lived scattered beneath the sunken ship, far from being considered a major tribe among sea soul beasts.
Even with the powerful aid of the dragon bone, the tribe's small numbers made it difficult to fully utilize its potential.
Fang Chang felt a heavy weight in his heart as he observed the situation. He had hoped to develop the Sea Spider tribe into his underwater representatives.
But given the current circumstances, it seemed this goal was still a long way off.
As he looked at Little Gold, an idea struck him. He immediately established a telepathic connection with her. "You mentioned before that the Sea Spider tribe has two branches, and yours is just one of them, right?"
Little Gold remained silent for a long time before nodding. "Yes."
Her expression suggested she was extremely reluctant to bring up the other branch of the Sea Spider tribe.
"I also remember you said that the other branch is currently managed by your two younger sisters?" Fang Chang pressed on, ignoring her discomfort.
"Yes," Little Gold nodded again, then sighed. "Since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you everything."
"This is how it happened. Our two branches were originally one tribe. After the previous Sea Spider Queen passed away, the three of us took over managing the tribe's affairs."
"However, my two younger sisters are naturally aggressive and have always advocated for expansion and seizing more territory. I, on the other hand, am more conservative, believing that with our strength, it was enough to just protect our current territory."
"Over time, two factions emerged within the tribe: the 'radical faction' led by my sisters and the 'conservative faction' led by me. The divide between us grew wider and wider."
At this point, her voice paused, and a pained expression flashed in her eyes.
"About two hundred years ago, my sisters caused a major incident by expanding recklessly, which attracted the wrath of a powerful enemy. They launched a massive attack on our tribe."
"Although we eventually drove them away, we suffered heavy losses. After the victory, I ordered my sisters to be exiled from the tribe."
"Unexpectedly, they had already prepared for this. They took nearly half of the tribe members with them and established a separate branch, cutting off all ties with us."
As expected, it was another case of factional conflict. Fang Chang had already guessed the truth before she finished speaking.
Such conflicts were common in human societies, but they were rare among soul beasts. The Sea Spider tribe was the only case he had heard of where factional strife had led to a split.
No wonder Little Gold was so reluctant to bring it up.
"Do you know the current location and numbers of the other Sea Spider branch?" Fang Chang continued to press, ignoring Little Gold's discomfort.
"This..." She hesitated. "You're not thinking of recruiting them, are you?"
Little Gold's expression grew more anxious. She had been at odds with her sisters for two hundred years. If they saw her in such a pitiful state now, they would surely mock her mercilessly.
"I... I don't know," she quickly changed her answer after seeing Fang Chang nod.
However, her eyes avoided Fang Chang's gaze, and her eight spider legs tapped nervously on the ground.
Fang Chang saw through her lie immediately.
"Little Gold, be honest with me. You should know that the Sea Spider tribe is at its most critical moment. If we don't replenish our numbers, we could be wiped out by other soul beast tribes."
As he spoke, Fang Chang moved closer to Little Gold. She instinctively backed away toward the wall, but Fang Chang closed the distance, trapping her in the corner.
Little Gold's face turned red as two conflicting thoughts battled in her mind.
As the queen of the tribe, she wasn't so naive as to not understand the situation. But she was deeply reluctant to seek out her sisters, especially under these circumstances.
If they found out that her branch had been nearly wiped out and that she had only managed to preserve the tribe's last remnants by relying on Fang Chang, where would her dignity as a queen go?
After struggling for a long time, she finally relented under Fang Chang's gaze. "Alright, I know some things about their situation."
Little Gold collected her thoughts. "After splitting from us, they quickly got into trouble again and were besieged by other soul beast tribes. Most of their members were killed."
"Later, they moved north, near the Demon Whale Sea. They relied on their proximity to the Deep Sea Demon Whale King to harass other tribes from time to time."
"Other tribes, fearing that the commotion of war might attract the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, didn't dare to launch large-scale attacks against them."
"Thus, they managed to survive there for about two hundred years, and their numbers have grown to over a hundred."
As she spoke, Little Gold's face showed clear resentment. It was obvious that she wished her sisters and their followers would all perish.
Spiders truly lack human emotions, and female spiders are even worse!
Coughing lightly, Fang Chang brought Little Gold back to reality. "First, send a tribe member to inform them. In a few days, we'll go to their territory together."
"What?" Little Gold immediately shook her head like a rattle drum. "No, no, you should go alone. You're our master now."
"No, you must come," Fang Chang said firmly. "The grievances between you must be resolved by you personally."
"I..." Little Gold wanted to argue further, but Fang Chang raised a spider leg, signaling her to stop.
Three days later, at dawn, almost all the remaining Sea Spiders lined up neatly and followed Fang Chang and Little Gold as they marched north.
This time, both Fang Chang and Little Gold would be leaving. With no one to hold the fort at the nest, they would be vulnerable to sneak attacks, which could lead to heavy losses. Thus, they had to bring almost all the small spiders with them, leaving only a few behind to guard the nest.
This was both to protect them and to make a show of strength.
After traveling dozens of miles underwater, the group finally encountered members of the other Sea Spider branch.
They numbered around a hundred, as Little Gold had said. Their cultivation levels weren't much higher, but they carried a fierce, battle-hardened aura.
The other Sea Spiders had clearly crawled out of piles of dead soul beasts. Their combat power and discipline were far superior to Little Gold's branch.
Just then, a mocking voice came from the other Sea Spider tribe's nest.