The Demon Soul Great White Shark tribe had almost entirely mobilized, but Demon Shark Xiaobai, their leader, had wisely left a small number of important clan members behind on Sea God Island, including her daughter, Bai Xiuxiu.
Leading her tribe westward from Sea God Island, they headed straight for the stronghold of the Evil Spirit Orca tribe.
Centuries of conflict had deepened the animosity between the two tribes, and the Demon Soul Great White Sharks had long been eager for a decisive battle with the Evil Spirit Orcas.
Shortly after their departure, another group quietly circled around and cut off their retreat. This group was led by Fang Chang and consisted of the Sea Spider tribe.
Their current location was about five or six miles from Sea God Island, right on the path the Demon Soul Great White Sharks would take to return to the island.
As soon as they arrived, Fang Chang ordered his subordinates to weave webs to block the path. He himself also began spinning toxic webs one after another.
The webs spun by the Sea Spiders were different from those of land-dwelling spider soul beasts. Their webs lacked toxins, had smaller gaps, and were much more durable. Originally used to trap weaker sea soul beasts, they were perfect for blocking and sealing off the path.
In just a few minutes, over a hundred Sea Spiders had completed the web wall, interlocking their webs to form a massive barrier with a diameter of two to three hundred meters, completely sealing off the exit in this direction.
Once this was done, under the leadership of Fang Chang and the Golden Trio sisters, they split into two groups and hid on either side of the area.
Meanwhile, Demon Shark Xiaobai had led her tribe to the stronghold of the Evil Spirit Orcas.
As soon as they arrived, she sensed something was wrong. With her perception abilities, even if the Evil Spirit Orca King tried to conceal his aura, she should have been able to detect him at this distance.
She could clearly feel the Evil Spirit Orca King's aura, strong and full of vitality, completely unharmed—nothing like the rumors of his death. He didn't even have a scratch!
As for the other powerful members of the Evil Spirit Orca tribe, after so many years of conflict, both sides were very familiar with each other's key fighters.
She could clearly sense that the main forces of the Evil Spirit Orca tribe had suffered no losses at all. This was clearly a trap set to lure them out and annihilate them in one fell swoop.
Damn it! Demon Shark Xiaobai cursed inwardly and immediately issued orders for her tribe to retreat to Sea God Island.
The Evil Spirit Orcas already outnumbered them, and their individual strength far surpassed that of the Demon Soul Great White Sharks. A single Evil Spirit Orca could easily take on two Demon Soul Great White Sharks of similar soul power.
Facing the Evil Spirit Orcas at full strength, they stood no chance.
However, her subordinates didn't have her keen perception and didn't realize they had walked into a trap until she gave the order.
A few of her tribe members, blinded by hatred, were still charging toward the Evil Spirit Orca stronghold.
Demon Shark Xiaobai quickly raised her voice, urgently issuing commands while turning back herself to lead the retreat to Sea God Island.
At that moment, the Evil Spirit Orcas, fully prepared, surged out of their stronghold under the leadership of the Evil Spirit Orca King, charging straight toward the Demon Soul Great White Sharks.
Several Demon Soul Great White Sharks at the front were too slow to stop and were immediately bitten by the oncoming Evil Spirit Orcas. They were then torn apart and devoured by the swarm of orcas.
The rest of the Demon Soul Great White Sharks quickly realized the severity of the situation and followed Demon Shark Xiaobai in retreating toward Sea God Island.
Having finally lured them out, the Evil Spirit Orca King had no intention of letting them escape. He led his tribe in hot pursuit.
The stronger Demon Soul Great White Sharks naturally moved faster and took the lead, while the weaker ones lagged behind, too focused on survival to care for each other.
On the Evil Spirit Orca side, the stronger ones were also at the front, with the weaker ones trailing behind.
This created a situation where the weakest Demon Soul Great White Sharks faced the strongest Evil Spirit Orcas, all while the sharks were focused solely on fleeing.
The Evil Spirit Orcas, being one of the most bloodthirsty soul beasts in the ocean, showed no mercy. The powerful orcas simply bit down, rendering the Demon Soul Great White Sharks incapable of fighting.
Then, without a second thought, they left the injured sharks to drift in the water and continued chasing the ones ahead, barely slowing down.
Behind them, the weaker Evil Spirit Orcas, already starving, happily accepted this gift.
Several Evil Spirit Orcas surrounded a single Demon Soul Great White Shark of similar soul power, fighting like ravenous dogs to tear chunks of flesh from the sharks.
The poor Demon Soul Great White Sharks, already injured by the much stronger orcas, could only look on in despair as they were torn apart.
Ahead, Demon Shark Xiaobai turned back upon hearing the screams and witnessed the horrific scene.
Her eyes turned red, but to preserve the bloodline of her tribe, she hardened her heart and continued leading the retreat toward Sea God Island.
Behind her, five or six of the stronger Demon Soul Great White Sharks slowed down to protect the weaker members, allowing them to escape first.
Among these weaker members were their own offspring. They couldn't bear to watch their kin be slaughtered.
Seeing this, Demon Shark Xiaobai's eyes grew even redder, silently approving their sacrifice as she used her soul power to shield the retreating members, helping them move faster.
Almost immediately after they left, the five or six Demon Soul Great White Sharks were surrounded by the elite Evil Spirit Orcas, plunging them into a desperate battle.
The distance of several dozen miles passed in the blink of an eye, but just as the Demon Soul Great White Sharks were about to reach Sea God Island, they found their path blocked by a massive web wall, their hearts sinking further.
Demon Shark Xiaobai's eyes turned icy. She had already suspected that such a cunning plan couldn't have been devised by the Evil Spirit Orcas alone. Seeing the web wall confirmed that they had outside help.
They had barely left when their retreat was cut off. This was clearly an attempt to drive them into a dead end!
She glanced at the web wall, about to use her soul power to break through, when she sensed an attack from behind. She quickly turned to face the assailant head-on.
The one who had ambushed her was none other than Fang Chang, who had been hiding in stealth nearby. As his soul power grew stronger, his "Stealth" ability had become so effective that even hundred-thousand-year soul beasts could easily overlook him if they weren't paying close attention.
And Demon Shark Xiaobai, focused on leading her tribe to safety, had been exactly that—distracted.
"Boom!" She turned sharply, her massive jaws snapping toward the ambusher, but all she heard was a dull thud as her mouth was forced open.
Fang Chang used one of his shield-like spider legs to block her jaws while slamming another into the side of her face.
Another dull thud echoed as Demon Shark Xiaobai was sent spinning through the water, barely managing to stabilize herself.
Caught off guard, she had suffered a significant disadvantage in her first exchange with Fang Chang.
Meanwhile, the other powerful members of the Demon Soul Great White Shark tribe were busy holding off the Evil Spirit Orcas, and Demon Shark Xiaobai was now occupied with Fang Chang. The rest of the tribe couldn't break through the Sea Spiders' web wall.
As they grew increasingly desperate, the Evil Spirit Orca King arrived with his tribe, and the Sea Spiders, who had been lying in wait, emerged under Fang Chang's command, surrounding the Demon Soul Great White Sharks on three sides.
With the Evil Spirit Orca King's arrival, Fang Chang stepped back, leaving Demon Shark Xiaobai to him.
He retreated to the Sea Spider side, quietly directing their attacks on isolated Demon Soul Great White Sharks.