Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Lin Yi and Su Xiao left the island.

The morning sun cast its rays upon the sea, turning the entire area a golden-red hue. The sails of the Doomsday Ship fluttered in the sea breeze as it cut through the waves and slowly sailed away from the harbor of the Barren Island.

A group of pirates had gathered at the harbor, watching the black sailboat depart.

Their eyes held a complex mix of awe, relief, and a hint of indescribable relaxation.

Just half an hour ago, these pirates were still haggling with Lin Yi over supplies.

With money paving the way, these people did work very hard—early in the morning, more than a dozen pirates carried buckets of fresh water, bags of dry food, and cured sea animal meat onto the ship, their movements as swift as well-trained dockworkers.

Of course, this also involves some display of force.

After all, this island is more of a pirate gathering place than a supply point.

Expecting these guys to know any sense of propriety, morality, or shame is pure ridiculous.

Their ability to discern people and treat them differently is innate; they take advantage of the weak and avoid the strong—it's a survival rule ingrained in their bones.

Half an hour ago, a foolish pirate captain saw Lin Yi and his companions spending lavishly and got the idea to do something wicked.

He led more than twenty men to block the port, saying, "Supplies are fine, but you have to pay the dock fees according to the rules."

Before the pirate captain could finish speaking, Su Xiao made his move.

The moment the Dragon Slayer was drawn, a streak of blue-green light swept across the sky.

The blade flashed so fast that its trajectory was almost invisible, leaving only a blur on the retina. The next second, the peak of the hundred-meter-high hill in the distance was completely flattened.

After a deafening roar, half of the mountain peak rolled down the slope and crashed into the sea, splashing up waves tens of meters high.

The pirates stared blankly at the flattened mountain, then at the long sword in Su Xiao's hand. Their expressions changed from arrogance to astonishment, and from astonishment to terror.

Bullying the weak and fearing the strong is the most fundamental characteristic of these pirates.

The pirate captain's legs went weak on the spot, and he knelt down with a thud, kowtowing three times while crying out, "My lord, spare my life!"

His twenty-odd men ran faster than rabbits, disappearing in the blink of an eye behind the mountains of cargo containers in the port.

After that, things went much more smoothly.

The pirates worked incredibly hard, each one afraid of being labeled a "non-cooperative" person if they were slow.

Some people carried wooden buckets and jogged along, some stood by the side of the boat to receive the goods, and some even jumped into the sea to help clean the barnacles from the bottom of the boat.

Their eagerness was like that of a pack of lapdogs seeing their master.

Lin Yi stood at the bow of the ship and looked back at the increasingly distant Huanji Island.

The low wooden houses and taverns on the island have become blurred outlines, and the pirates by the harbor have shrunk to tiny black dots.

He turned his gaze away and looked at the sea ahead.

The Doom was much faster than a regular sailboat. Its sails billowed, and its hull cut through the waves, leaving a long white trail on the sea.

On the distant sea, Mordrac's massive body was faintly visible.

It maintained a distance of about one nautical mile, following along at a leisurely pace, like a moving island.

After last night's feast, it is now in high spirits and its swimming posture is much lighter.

As the sky gradually brightened, sunlight pierced through the thin mist and shone on the sea, illuminating the entire area.

Mordrac's voice echoed in everyone's ears.

It was a deep cry that pierced through the sea and air, carrying a rhythm that was hard to describe.

It sounded like it was singing, or perhaps greeting its kind in the distance. The sound echoed across the vast sea, adding a touch of life to the boundless ocean.

Lin Yi got up from the soft bed, stretched, and began to wash up.

The villa was fully equipped, and after a night of sailing, he slept quite well.

The warm water washed away the last trace of fatigue from my face.

He changed his clothes and pushed open the door to walk into the hall.

The hall was filled with the rich aroma of meat.

Bubuwang and Amu are currently sitting at the dining table, eating voraciously.

A large plate filled with small pieces of roasted meat sat in front of Bubuwang. It buried its head in its food and ate voraciously, its tail wagging like a propeller.

Amu's eating manner was even more unrestrained. It grabbed a whole roasted lamb leg with its huge paw and was stuffing it into its mouth, with grease dripping down the corners of its mouth, but it didn't care to wipe it away.

The three stacks of plates piled up next to the table were particularly eye-catching. Judging from the height of the stack, Amu must have been eating for more than half an hour.

There's no way around it. Although Su Xiao's Doom is indeed powerful, expecting the quality of life on a wooden sailboat to rival that of a villa is simply wishful thinking.

The Doom only had the most basic cabins and hard wooden plank beds, which were no different from sleeping on stone slabs.

Baha complained all the way last night, saying that the bed board hurt its wings.

Bubuwang refused to board the boat, preferring to lie on Moldlach's back and enjoy the sea breeze rather than suffer the ordeal.

So while Lin Yi slept on a soft bed in the villa, Su Xiao made do for the night in the captain's cabin of the Doom.

Lin Yi walked to the dining table, and Bubuwang raised its head and barked at him twice.

The meaning of those two sounds was clear—Su Xiao needed to see him and wanted him to come over.

Lin Yi nodded, rubbed Bubuwang's head, and turned to walk towards the door.

On the other side of the hall, Mond and Shangyue were sitting on the sofa, staring at each other, the atmosphere tense.

Mondl's rugged face was full of resentment, and he muttered something like, "So what if you're a Feathered Clan?" and "You were the one who took my seat last night."

Shang Yue looked at him expressionlessly, her silver eyes carrying a hint of disdain, as if she were looking at an ignorant pet.

Lin Yi greeted them and walked out of the villa.

Sunlight shone on Mordrac's broad back, making his cleaned scales gleam.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, invigorates the spirit.

Lin Yi lightly touched the ground with his toes, leaped off Mordrac's back, and landed steadily on the deck of the Doom.

The Doom is indeed an ominous ship.

From the outside, it looks like an ordinary black three-masted sailing ship, but the moment you step onto the deck, you can feel that faint, eerie aura.

The blood-red patterns on the hull appeared and disappeared in the sunlight, flowing slowly as if they were alive.

Bubuwang followed Lin Yi onto the deck, shook off the seawater, and ran familiarly toward the captain's cabin.

Lin Yi followed it into the captain's cabin.

The captain's cabin is small, about ten square meters, and simply furnished.

A wooden table was placed against the wall, and on it lay the nautical chart that had been bought from the barren island.

In the corner was a narrow wooden bed with a thin blanket on it, which did not look very comfortable.

Su Xiao was sitting at the wooden table, staring at the nautical chart.

He was still wearing that black trench coat, with the Dragon Slayer Sword hanging at his waist. He looked to be in good condition, but there was a faint trace of fatigue between his brows, indicating that he hadn't slept well last night.

Lin Yi walked to the table, glanced at the nautical chart, and then reached out and threw it aside.

“This thing is purely for show.” Lin Yi sat down on the chair next to him. “Right now, our route is entirely guided by Mordrak. It has lived in this area for who knows how many years; it could swim to Terror Island with its eyes closed. This nautical chart is at best a reference.”

Su Xiao paused for a second, then coughed.

“I have something important to discuss with you,” Su Xiao said, his tone returning to its usual calm. “The current evolution of the Doom requires a large amount of sea monster flesh. The sea beasts we encountered near the Barren Island were too few in number and of mediocre quality. If I rely solely on my luck at sea, I'm afraid I won't be able to obtain many before we reach Terror Island.”

Lin Yi understood what he meant.

The evolution of the Doom requires the flesh and blood of sea monsters, and this sea area has no shortage of sea monsters.

The problem is, sea monsters won't just come to you; you have to actively seek them out.

Searching aimlessly on this vast ocean is too inefficient.

"Get Mordrac's help?"

Su Xiao nodded.

"It is the apex predator in this area and knows the distribution of those sea monsters best. If it can help lure some out, it will be much more efficient."

Lin Yi stood up without hesitation.

"I'll go tell them."

He walked out of the captain's cabin, returned to Mordrac's back, and found Shangyue standing at the villa's entrance.

Shangyue was leaning against the door frame, staring blankly at the distant sea.

The shimmering seawater was reflected in those silver eyes, and I wondered what they were thinking.

Lin Yi briefly explained Su Xiao's meaning.

After listening, Shangyue nodded and turned to walk towards Mordrac's head area.

She crouched down, gently patted the giant beast's scales with her palm, and then began to communicate with it in the sea creature language.

The language, composed of bubbling sounds, friction sounds, and low-frequency vibrations, floated in the air.

As Mordrac listened, his flat head turned slightly, glancing in Lin Yi's direction.

Its gaze lingered on Lin Yi for a few seconds, then it nodded slightly.

The movement was very subtle, but the meaning was clear—it was agreed.

Soon after, Mordrak began to emit a very peculiar cry.

The sound was hard to describe; it was like the call of a dolphin, high-pitched and sharp, but also deeper and longer.

Listening carefully, it seemed as if nothing could be heard at all; the sound seemed to penetrate the eardrums and echo in the mind, which was quite peculiar.

Lin Yi stood on the deck, looking at the sea around him.

At first, nothing happened.

The sea remained calm, with only the waves gently lapping against the hull, making a soft, gurgling sound.

But soon, changes began.

Su Xiao and Lin Yi noticed almost simultaneously that the surrounding ocean had suddenly turned much darker.

The darkness wasn't caused by a change in light; rather, something was rising from the deep sea, obscuring the light from the seabed. Upon closer inspection, one would discover that dozens of gigantic sea monsters had suddenly appeared beneath them.

Those sea creatures were smaller than Mordrak, but the smallest were still thirty meters long.

They come in all shapes and sizes. Some resemble sea serpents magnified countless times, with slender bodies that twist and writhe in the water; others resemble giant octopuses with tentacles that can stretch for hundreds of meters; still others resemble ancient giant turtles with shells covered in barnacles and corals.

They are the native inhabitants of this sea area, usually lurking in the deep sea, each occupying their own territory.

But after Mordrak let out that provocative cry, they all surfaced from the seabed.

The world of marine mammals is very simple: it's all about survival of the fittest.

Whoever is weak will be eaten by other sea monsters and become nourishment for their evolution.

This competition begins from the moment they are born and continues throughout their entire lifespan, without any logic or rules to follow.

Mordrac has now essentially entered someone else's territory and is engaging in rampant provocation.

In the language of sea monsters, that cry had a very clear meaning—"You trash, do you dare to come out and fight me?"

If they do not retaliate against Mordrak's reaction, their territory will soon be invaded by other sea creatures that have long coveted it.

That's how territorial rules work among sea creatures: if you don't protect your dignity, others will trample on you.

After the sea monsters surfaced, they did not immediately launch an attack.

They formed a loose encirclement, surrounding the Doom and Mordrac in the center.

Dozens of enormous eyes stared at this side from beneath the sea, their eyes devoid of much emotion, reflecting only the instinctive scrutiny and assessment of a predator.

Several sea creatures seemed to recognize Mordrak's identity and shrank back slightly.

But more sea creatures were enraged by the provocative cries, and they began to slowly move toward the center, getting closer and closer.

One of the sea snakes launched the first attack.

Its slender body sprang up from the water, its gaping maw a full ten meters wide, filled with rings of sharp, inward-pointing teeth.

The giant maw was aimed at Su Xiao, who was standing at the bow of the Doom.

Just as the giant maw was about to close, Su Xiao moved.

He leaped to the side and jumped from the bow of the boat into the sea.

In the instant the water splashed, his figure had already disappeared beneath the azure sea.

Beneath the sea surface, a flash of bluish-green light appeared.

The blade of light pierced through the seawater, appearing exceptionally dazzling under the refraction of sunlight.

The next second, dozens of sword energies shot directly from the ocean into the sky.

The blade energy spread outwards in a fan shape, tearing through the sea surface and creating huge waves that soared into the sky.

When they touched the clouds in the sky, those clouds were split in two, spreading out to the sides and revealing the azure sky behind them.

After the flash of the swords subsided, the sea fell into a brief calm.

Then, bright red blood gushed out from beneath the sea.

The blood was so thick it resembled paint, instantly turning the seawater within hundreds of meters around it a dazzling red.

The pungent smell of blood permeated the sea breeze, so strong it was almost suffocating.

Two enormous sea monster carcasses slowly rose from the surface of the sea.

One was the sea serpent that had attacked first; its head had been neatly severed, the cut as smooth as a mirror, and blood was gushing from the huge wound.

The other was the giant octopus, whose tentacles had been mostly severed, and the remaining limbs were floating in the seawater. Its entire body had lost all signs of life.

Su Xiao stood on the head of one of the sea monster corpses.

He was soaking wet, his black trench coat clinging to his body.

The Dragon Slayer Sword was already sheathed. He placed one hand on the hilt of the sword, his half-closed eyes scanning the remaining sea beasts around him.

The sea creatures stared blankly at this scene.

Their brains cannot process this information.

In their minds, creatures of this size should be the lowest prey, not even worthy of being appetizers.

But this seemingly tiny creature killed two adult sea monsters in a minute, and it seemed effortless.

The silence lasted less than three seconds.

Then the sea monsters began to flee in a frenzy.

They dive into the deep sea, frantically thrashing their bodies as if being chased by something.

The waves surged and whirlpools rose, and those enormous figures quickly disappeared into the deep blue sea, leaving only the gradually spreading crimson and the corpses floating on the surface.

Su Xiao leaped off the sea monster's corpse and landed back on the deck of the Doom.

He shook the seawater off himself and looked at Lin Yi.

"Is that enough?"

Lin Yi glanced at the two enormous corpses and nodded.

"This stage of evolution should be sufficient."

Five minutes later, under Bubuwang's guidance, Amu began cutting the tenderest flesh from these sea creatures.

Amna, a massive figure over three meters tall, stood beside the sea monster's corpse, wielding a huge machete, and began to slash according to Bubuwang's instructions.

Bubuwang squatted to the side, pointing at various parts of the sea monster's body with its paws, making whimpering sounds that meant "here," "there," and "this is the tenderest part."

Bubuwang has always been very knowledgeable about food. It knows which parts of the meat are the best, which parts are suitable for grilling, and which parts are suitable for stewing.

Under its guidance, Am was very efficient at cutting, and chunks of tender white sea animal meat were unloaded and neatly stacked on the deck.

Mondl, who was standing nearby, also came down to help.

This guy was really greedy; his eyes lit up when he saw the two huge sea monster corpses.

As he helped move the meat, he muttered, "This meat looks so tender," and "I'll have to eat more of it later."

Although demons are physically strong, Mondstadt never hesitates when it comes to eating.

In his view, being able to eat good food is a bonus, and he doesn't care about his image.

Soon, a wisp of smoke rose from the grill, the embers below glowed red, and tender white roasted meat was placed on top, emitting a fragrant aroma.

The aroma of the meat was completely different from the fishy smell of sea monster meat. After being roasted over charcoal, the surface of the meat chunks sizzled with golden oil.

The oil drips onto the charcoal fire, igniting tiny flames that further enhance the aroma of the meat.

"This smells amazing!"

Baha swallowed hard, his beady black eyes fixed on the pieces of meat on the grill.

Behind it were Bubuwang and Benny, their longing eyes filled with anticipation, looking like they were waiting to be fed.

Benny squatted gracefully next to Bubuwang, her tail swaying gently.

Although she is usually very particular about food, the aroma of the roasted meat had conquered her sense of smell, making her temporarily set aside her reserve.

As for the people who did the grilling, Su Xiao and Lin Yi naturally took charge themselves.

While their other cooking skills might be average, both contractors are excellent at grilling meat.

There's no way around it; everyone has survived in the wild. In those worlds without supplies, being able to eat a hot barbecue is the greatest enjoyment.

So, grilling meat is something that's all about practice; the more you grill, the better your skills become.

Su Xiao stood in front of the grill, holding a long-handled iron fork, occasionally turning the pieces of meat on it.

Lin Yi was in charge of seasoning. He took out various bottles and jars from his storage space, including salt, cumin, chili powder, and several kinds of barbecue sauces specially made by the Paradise of Reincarnation.

He evenly sprinkled the seasonings onto the meat pieces. The seasonings melted quickly under the high temperature, penetrating into the meat and releasing an even richer aroma.

Mond squatted to the side, watching longingly, swallowing his saliva repeatedly.

Shangyue stood not far away, her face expressionless, but her Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Am had already cut the meat and was now sitting on the deck, stuffing a large piece of raw meat into his mouth.

For it, there's no difference between raw and cooked meat; as long as it's edible, that's fine.

However, its gaze would occasionally drift towards the grill, clearly yearning for that aroma.

The aroma reached its peak when the first batch of meat was roasted.

The golden-brown chunks of meat glistened with oil, and the aroma of cumin and chili mingled with the meat's fragrance, wafting in the sea breeze.

Su Xiao divided the meat pieces into plates, and Lin Yi handed them to everyone.

Mond took the plate and eagerly grabbed a piece of meat, stuffing it into his mouth.

"Hot, hot, hot—" He grimaced from the heat, but he couldn't bear to spit it out, so he just kept rubbing it in his mouth, looking as ridiculous as could be.

Shangyue took the plate with much more graceful movements.

She picked up a piece of meat with her fork, blew on it, and then took a small bite.

Those silver eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in them.

It's even simpler for Bubuwang and Benny.

Lin Yi gave each of them a plate, and they buried their heads in their food, not even looking up.

Bach grabbed the biggest piece, squatted on the mast, and slowly enjoyed it, muttering, "This is life."

Su Xiao also picked up a piece of meat and took a bite.

The meat is tender and juicy, with the chewiness unique to marine mammals, but without any fishy smell; instead, it has a unique deliciousness.

A gentle sea breeze caressed the deck, sunlight streamed onto the deck, and the aroma of barbecue wafted across the sea.

In the distance, Mordrak let out a low cry, a sound tinged with envy.

It smelled the aroma, but its appetite was too great; this little bit of meat wasn't even enough to fill its teeth.

So it could only watch helplessly as it continued swimming forward. (End of Chapter)