The coachman clenched his whip and lashed the horses' backs with all his might. The two Soul Beast steeds galloped, hooves flying as the wheels spun at full speed, kicking up dust all along the road. They pressed on without pause, racing at top speed.
The moment Su Ming's carriage reached the edge of the Star Dou Forest, it came to a stop in a clearing just outside the forest.
Looking up, he saw a carriage with a simple, old-fashioned design parked nearby. Its curtains were embroidered with plain patterns. It was unmistakably the carriage Bei Bei and Tang Ya had been riding.
Su Ming nodded slightly. His gaze settled on the vast, boundless primeval forest before him. His aura stirred faintly as he followed Bei Bei and Tang Ya's traces, walking slowly into the Star Dou Forest.
Setting foot once more on this land, renowned throughout the Soul Master World, Su Ming couldn't help but marvel, despite having been prepared for the sight.
Ancient trees towered into the heavens, their thick trunks reaching skyward as their branches blotted out the sun. Sunlight could only filter through layer upon layer of leaves, scattering in dappled flecks across the ground.
Spiritual energy saturated the forest. Lush vegetation grew everywhere, and precious spirit herbs a hundred or even ten years old could be found at every turn. The low growls and beating wings of Soul Beasts sounded now and then—a place brimming with life, yet hiding danger at every turn.
No wonder it was recognized throughout the Douluo Continent as the foremost gathering place for Soul Beasts. It nurtured countless Soul Beasts and concealed endless opportunities and deadly dangers.
Su Ming concealed every trace of his aura and hid deep within the forest, silently following the two of them for several days. He witnessed the key events from the original story with his own eyes.
Beside a campfire in the forest, Huo Yuhao cooked up fragrant grilled fish. Bei Bei and Tang Ya ate heartily, and the three chatted happily. When it was time to part, they wished one another well before going their separate ways. Bei Bei and Tang Ya turned and left, while Huo Yuhao continued alone into the depths of the forest.
Once the three had fully separated, Su Ming took a light step and followed Huo Yuhao without a sound, keeping his aura perfectly concealed and revealing not the slightest trace of himself.
Huo Yuhao hadn't gone far when a fierce surge of Soul Skill energy burst out ahead. Violent currents of air swept in every direction, and leaves fluttered down. Su Ming looked up to see Huo Yuhao locked in a fight to the death with a vicious God-Slaying Wind Baboon!
The Wind Baboon was savage by nature and as swift as a specter. Its wind-attribute Soul Skills were fierce and ruthless, every strike aimed to kill. Relying on his extraordinary spiritual power and iron will, Huo Yuhao struggled to keep the Wind Baboon at bay.
His frame was slight, yet he didn't retreat an inch. With steely resolve, he spent every ounce of strength dodging and counterattacking. Every move was an all-out effort, and he was in constant peril—one careless misstep would leave him dead beneath the baboon's claws.
The fight was heart-stopping. After several rounds of fierce combat, Huo Yuhao was covered in wounds, his breathing ragged, his strength all but spent.
Yet at the final moment, he seized a sliver of an opening, snapped his wrist forward, and drove the sharp White Tiger Dagger in his hand deep into the Wind Baboon's vital spot!
The God-Slaying Wind Baboon let out a mournful shriek and crashed to the ground. Its massive body went still, its life extinguished. The fight to the death ended at last with Huo Yuhao narrowly claiming victory.
Su Ming stared in utter shock. The God-Slaying Wind Baboon had come close to landing a killing blow several times, only for Huo Yuhao to dodge at the last possible moment. You had to hand it to him—he really was the son of fortune.
The instant the Wind Baboon fell, an immeasurable, gentle yet boundless surge of spiritual power swept through the forest like a tidal wave, blanketing the heavens and earth. Its presence was overwhelming, but carried not the slightest hint of killing intent.
Su Ming understood at once. That must be Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, that big worm. This strange Soul Beast had spent its days eating and sleeping, muddling along until it cultivated into a million-year Soul Beast. Hunted by the Ice Empress, it had fled in panic into the Star Dou Forest, only to be captured by Beast God Di Tian and reduced to a living energy battery for the Ferocious Beasts.
You could call it unlucky: it had enjoyed the Myriad-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow all to itself. But you could also call it lucky: it had been caught and turned into a battery while fleeing, and in the end, it had even created a god. It was the first bug on the Douluo Continent to forge a god.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual power met Huo Yuhao's, and the man and worm began to converse in the spiritual space, on the verge of forming a pact.
At that critical moment, the previously clear sky above the forest suddenly filled with rolling black clouds, and darkness swept swiftly over the land. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth seemed to freeze in an instant. A terrifying pressure, ancient and desolate, lonely beyond words, towering above all creation, tore through the sky and crashed down. Every Soul Beast in the surrounding Star Dou Forest fell prostrate, trembling and too terrified to even breathe.
Feeling this supreme soul pressure, Su Ming's eyes narrowed. He immediately understood what was happening, but stayed perfectly calm. He raised his hand and quickly pulled out the exquisite wooden box from his coat. Inside lay the Gold of Life, precious beyond measure and brimming with boundless vitality.
The gray stream of soul energy that had been heading straight for Huo Yuhao stopped abruptly in midair. It had sensed the Gold of Life's pure, weighty, ceaselessly renewed energy.
It paused for a moment, as if making a judgment, then suddenly changed direction. Ignoring Huo Yuhao, it shot straight toward Su Ming.
The gray stream moved incredibly fast. Nothing could stop it as it entered Su Ming's brow and plunged into his Sea of Consciousness.
Then a voice that had resounded through the ages, proud beyond compare and filled with boundless desolation and disdain for the world, rang out in Su Ming's mind, striking deep into his soul and shaking him to his core:
"Hand in hand, I grasp the sun and moon and pluck the stars. None in this world can compare to me!"
The voice was weary with age, yet carried an air of supreme pride, as if it had endured the vicissitudes of countless ages and seen through all things in the world. A faint wisp of soul energy lingered within it as it slowly echoed through his mind.
"I never thought that I, Electrolux, would still have a fragment of my soul left in storage... Little one, my soul is weak and utterly exhausted. I need to fall into a deep sleep and recuperate. Once I have regained some strength and my condition improves, I will meet you again. Rest assured, I have no intention of harming you."
His words faded. The proud gray fragment of a soul transformed into a gentle haze of light, settled quietly in the deepest reaches of Su Ming's Sea of Consciousness, and sank into a profound slumber.
Seeing that everything had gone according to plan and Electrolux had successfully taken up residence in his Sea of Consciousness, Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't linger. Turning at once, he walked steadily toward the edge of the Star Dou Forest.
Though Huo Yuhao had fainted from the strain of his spiritual power and the exhaustion of his body, he was the son of fortune on the Douluo Continent, protected by the will of heaven. His life was in no danger.
Before long, Bei Bei and Tang Ya would notice what had happened and hurry over. Next would come the part where they recruited a new disciple for the Tang Sect. There was no need for Su Ming to stay and interfere with their opportunity.
Su Ming's figure vanished among the trees as he quietly withdrew, leaving this place of trouble behind for good.