The trees in Star Dou Great Forest gradually thinned.
Su Hui stepped across the forest's edge and let out a long breath.
The Soul Beasts in the outskirts weren't very strong.
But as a two-ring Soul Master, every extra second he spent in a place like this was a gamble with his life.
Fortunately, the old map he'd brought from the Tang Wulin era had come in handy.
And since Huo Yuhao was currently active in the forest's outermost reaches, Su Hui hadn't run into anyone particularly troublesome.
Su Hui glanced back at the deep, shadowy sea of trees.
"My luck wasn't bad this time."
He muttered to himself, then quickened his pace to put distance between himself and the area.
As dusk fell, Su Hui found a sheltered hillside in the wilderness and pitched his tent.
A bonfire blazed.
He sat cross-legged, fiddling with the Storage Soul Tool on his wrist.
A pile of odds and ends lay scattered on the ground.
Several tool-shaped Soul Tools he'd made himself over the past year while studying Soul Tool Technology, along with the old map he'd folded and refolded countless times.
Su Hui picked up a twig and casually drew four circles and a line passing through them in the dirt.
It was a simple timeline.
The four circles represented four eras: the Tang San era, the Huo Yuhao era, the Tang Wulin era, and the Lan Xuanyu era.
"Last time I crossed over to the Tang Wulin era, I stayed for thirty whole days."
Once those thirty days were up, he'd been pulled back to his original point in time.
What about this time?
"There's too little data to discern a pattern."
Su Hui frowned and poked a dot into the circle representing the Huo Yuhao era.
"For now, I can only plan around thirty days."
Using thirty days as his limit was the safest choice.
He studied the world map he'd brought back from the Tang Wulin era.
He needed to plan a destination where he could gain something within a month.
First, his gaze fell on the location of the Sun Moon Empire in this era.
"The Soul Tool Technology of the Sun Moon Empire is undoubtedly the most dazzling treasure of this era."
But Su Hui gave up after only a glance.
By the Legend of the Dragon King era, ten thousand years later, Soul Tools had already advanced to the point where they could produce Battle Armor.
The knowledge recorded in the books he'd bought was far more advanced than the Soul Tool Technology of this era.
In Su Hui's eyes, the things from Huo Yuhao's era were as crude as toys.
Studying them would be a waste of his precious thirty days.
"Then what about the Ice-Fire Dual Instrument Eye?"
That place was a timeless treasure trove, no matter the era. The Immortal Herbs within it were always priceless.
It could be said that Immortal Herbs ran through all four installments of Douluo Continent.
Su Hui tightened his grip on the map.
"Too bad I can't visit the Ice-Fire Dual Instrument Eye in any era after this one."
By then, the place had become Tang San's private garden after his ascension to godhood.
It was full of hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts that were Immortal Herbs.
With his two-ring strength, even the roots of a single Immortal Herb could whip him into mincemeat.
Su Hui's frown deepened.
"Shrek Academy?"
Su Hui pondered for a moment, then rejected the idea of going to Shrek as well.
Shrek at this time was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Dragon God Douluo Mu En was still alive, and those old monsters in the Sea God Pavilion were all Titled Douluo.
If an unknown two-ring Soul Master like him showed up without even a shred of identification, he'd be even more of an undocumented outsider than Huo Yuhao.
Going to Shrek wouldn't do him any good.
"Why does it feel like there's nothing I can get my hands on in this era?"
Su Hui spread the map on the ground and traced a finger along the outline of the continent.
Now he was really in a bind.
"It all comes down to being too weak..."
He leaned back and lay down, resting the back of his head on his arms.
The stars in the night sky were crystal clear, no different from those in his own era ten thousand years ago or in the era after Tang Wulin.
"Am I really going to waste all thirty days?"
A wry smile tugged at Su Hui's lips. "That'd be such a loss."
All kinds of thoughts swirled through his mind.
Just then, an old voice rang out in his mind without warning.
"Young man, you seem troubled?"
"!!!"
Su Hui jolted and sat up.
"Is that... Elder Yi's voice?"
His spiritual power instantly sank into his sea of consciousness. There, in the vast mental space, floated an inconspicuous gray sphere.
The gray sphere trembled slightly.
As light flowed across it, an elderly figure took shape.
Long gray-white hair fell over his shoulders. His features were ancient and dignified, and his eyes seemed to hold the weight of countless years.
Electrolux!
Su Hui's heart skipped a beat.
Had the demigod of the undead, who'd been sleeping in his sea of consciousness, awakened ahead of time?
After forming his body, Electrolux first looked around.
His gaze lingered for a long while on the Silver Dragon Spear planted in the center of the sea of consciousness. A thoughtful look flickered in his eyes.
"The energy essence released by this spear has stabilized my remnant soul."
Electrolux drew his gaze away, his voice steady and measured.
"Without this source of energy, I don't know how much longer I would have remained asleep."
With that, he turned to Su Hui.
The white-haired elder studied the young man for a moment, his brow shifting almost imperceptibly.
"Young man, you... don't seem surprised by my presence?"
"..."
Su Hui fell silent.
His reaction just now really had been too calm.
A normal person would panic or grow wary if an old man suddenly appeared in his head.
But Su Hui's response had been more like the excitement and anticipation he'd feel upon seeing someone familiar.
Had he really been that obvious?
Electrolux didn't press him. He simply watched Su Hui in silence.
Those eyes, weathered by time, held a hint of scrutiny.
There was something indescribably incongruous about this young man.
It was as if, in the very instant he saw Electrolux, the look in his eyes hadn't been one of shock, but of confirmation.
Su Hui sat motionless before the bonfire.
The silence in his sea of consciousness lasted for several breaths.
He weighed the pros and cons.
If he made up a story now to fool Electrolux,
there was a good chance a man with Electrolux's experience would spot the flaws.
What's more, once he returned to his original timeline, the Electrolux in his sea of consciousness would discover the truth sooner or later.
Su Hui took a deep breath and made his decision in the sea of consciousness.
"You're right."
He spoke in his sea of consciousness.
"I'm not surprised."
"Oh?"
The corners of Electrolux's eyes lifted slightly. He didn't interrupt, waiting for Su Hui to finish.
Su Hui gathered his thoughts.
He raised his head—or rather, he faced Electrolux's gaze directly in his sea of consciousness.
If he was going to come clean, he might as well reveal something truly explosive.
"First, I know you're a powerful being from another world named Electrolux, the Holy Necromancer, the Scourge of the Undead."
"!"
For the first time, Electrolux's expression changed noticeably.
His eyes, calm as an ancient well, suddenly narrowed.
Su Hui didn't pause. He continued, "I also know that you were once a demigod of the undead, and that in your original world, you were one of the most powerful beings on that continent."
Before Electrolux could respond, Su Hui continued with something even more shocking: "And I myself crossed over from a point in time ten thousand years in the past."
"At the same time—"
He paused, then said each word clearly: "I'm also someone from beyond this world, just like you."
"..."
Electrolux was silent for a long time.
So long that Su Hui almost wondered whether the demigod of the undead had been stunned into a stupor by his earth-shattering revelations.
Then Electrolux looked Su Hui over with fresh eyes, undisguised amazement finally showing in his gaze.
The old man, who'd been so calm and composed since waking, had been completely thrown off balance by Su Hui's confession.
"Interesting."
Electrolux slowly uttered the word, his voice laden with meaning.
"I've lived through my fair share of years, but a being like you—"
He paused, seemingly searching for the right words.
"You're truly the first I've ever encountered."
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