Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

Old Tom stood up, tidied up the documents on the table, and was about to return to the counter to continue doing business when a series of rapid flapping sounds suddenly came from outside the door.

The sound approached rapidly from afar, and was exceptionally clear on the quiet street.

Old Tom paused for a moment, then instinctively looked out the window.

The dark figure landed on Lin Yi's shoulder and came to a steady stop, showing no signs of attack.

That was an eagle.

No, it's not an ordinary eagle.

Old Tom squinted and looked closely. The eagle was much larger than ordinary eagles, with sharp and intelligent eyes. It was tilting its head and looking at Lin Yi, making sounds that were hard to understand.

Extraordinary beings.

Old Tom made a decision instantly.

This size and intelligence are definitely not something that ordinary animals can possess.

He glanced at Lin Yi again, his gaze becoming more serious.

It's rare to find something on this ocean that can tame extraordinary creatures as pets.

That eagle was Bach.

It flew straight down from the sky and landed precisely on Lin Yi's shoulder. After confirming that no one else was nearby, it spoke.

"There's been progress on the boss's side."

Bach's voice was low, but clear enough.

Lin Yi didn't stop walking and continued forward, with Shang Yue following closely beside him.

"explain."

Bach briefly explained the situation.

Su Xiao made infiltration of the territory of the Extinction God Cult on the other side, and the process went more smoothly than expected.

The fighting power of those lower-level believers was negligible; Mondstadt alone took care of most of them.

Su Xiao focused his main efforts on searching the core area of ​​the church and successfully confirmed one thing.

The ancient gods do exist, and they maintain contact with this sect.

After confirming the other party's existence, Su Xiao prepared to use a sting operation.

To put it bluntly, the entire territory of the Extinction God Cult here has been wiped out.

The bodies of the believers were still piled up inside the house, and the entire stronghold was now deserted.

But the ancient god had no idea what was happening here; all He knew was that His followers had suddenly lost contact.

Su Xiao planned to take advantage of this information gap.

He planned to first offer something good to the ancient god through a sacrificial array, so that the ancient god would taste the sweetness, and then place the remaining things in a place where the ancient god could see them but could not reach them.

If the other party can't resist and dares to come and take it, Su Xiao is willing to finely chop them into minced meat.

Lin Yi nodded after listening.

This idea is very clear and also fits Su Xiao's style.

Su Xiao was very experienced in entrapment operations.

Su Xiao had used similar methods when dealing with transnational criminal groups in the real world.

First, release the bait to lure the opponent into the trap, and then wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

The only difference is that the target has changed from humans to ancient gods; the essence remains the same.

Where is he now?

Baha immediately gave an address.

It was an abandoned neighborhood on the edge of Siren Harbor, far from the docks and commercial area, overgrown with weeds and rarely visited.

Such a place is indeed suitable as a stronghold for secret cults, as it is both inconspicuous and convenient for clandestine activities.

Upon hearing this, Shangyue paused slightly.

"Are lawbreakers entrapping law enforcement officers?"

There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice, as if she were confirming something.

Baha tilted his head and looked at her.

"Yes, is there a problem?"

Shangyue remained silent for a few seconds.

no problem.

But her thoughts involuntarily drifted to the ancient texts of the Feathered Clan.

Those ancient texts contain many legends about those who destroyed the Dharma.

In that era of the destruction of magic, the destroyers and spellcasters fought against each other for over a thousand years. Their ruthless methods and cunning tactics terrified countless spellcasters.

Entrapment is just one of the most basic forms of this.

The ancient texts record a sorcerer named Marvin Waltz, whose favorite thing to do was to set up traps all over the void and then use various rare materials as bait to lure greedy evil gods into his trap.

It is said that the number of evil gods he caught could circle the void, and he cut each one into pieces.

At that time, when she read these classic texts, she always felt that they were exaggerated.

What kind of existence is an evil god? How could it possibly be lured into a mere trap?

But now, looking at Baha's matter-of-fact expression and recalling Su Xiao's perpetually calm face, Shang Yue suddenly felt that those ancient texts might not have exaggerated.

Those stories are true.

Moreover, Su Xiao was self-taught.

What did that Mondstadt guy say again? The Spellbreakers have hostility toward spellcasters etched into their very bones.

Now Shangyue feels that this statement needs to be changed—the destroyers of the law have the instinct to hunt evil gods ingrained in their very bones.

Lin Yi didn't say much, but quickened his pace.

Guided by Bahamut, the two crossed the dock area and entered the edge of Siren Harbor.

The scenery here is completely different from that of the dock area.

There were no neat stone-paved roads, no bustling shops, only potholed dirt roads and dilapidated wooden houses.

Wild grass grows rampant, and in some places the grass has grown to waist height, completely covering the road.

Occasionally, you can see a few ragged people huddled in a corner, staring blankly at passersby.

But when they saw Shangyue's black wings, they immediately lowered their heads, shrank back into the shadows, and dared not look any longer.

This is a slum, a gathering place for the forgotten.

The decision for the Minguang Cult to establish itself here was indeed a wise one.

People who are forgotten by the world are more easily attracted to various religious sects because they need hope, faith, and someone to tell them that they have not been abandoned.

After walking for about ten minutes, a relatively open area appeared ahead.

The buildings in this area are more dilapidated than those in the surrounding area; some have completely collapsed, leaving only ruins.

Wild grass covered almost all the open space, with only a few narrow paths worn into the ground barely passable.

A faint smell of blood filled the air.

The smell was faint, but clear enough for someone who walks the line between life and death year after year.

Lin Yi followed the scent of blood, walked around several broken walls, and came to a row of three-story buildings.

These houses are more intact than those in other places; although dilapidated, at least they haven't collapsed.

The doors and windows were all boarded up, leaving only a few gaps for ventilation and observation.

At that moment, the door of the wooden house was wide open, and corpses were being thrown out one after another.

Mond stood in the doorway, his rugged face full of impatience.

He grabbed a corpse by the collar with one hand, lifted it up as easily as picking up a chick, and casually tossed it aside.

The body flew in an arc and landed on the wasteland outside, piling up with other corpses.

There were already seven or eight corpses piled up, their postures twisted and their deaths varied.

Lin Yi walked closer and took a look.

Judging from the wounds on the corpses, very few were killed by Su Xiao.

Most of the corpses had their necks twisted at a strange angle, as if something had grabbed their necks and snapped them.

This swift and decisive method of killing is typical of Mond's style.

Demons have always fought this way: if they can kill with one punch, they will never follow up with a second; if they can snap a neck with one twist, they will never waste a single stab.

Those believers had no chance of resisting an existence of Mond's caliber.

When Mond saw Lin Yi approaching, he looked up and forced a smile onto his face.

"The doctor is here. They're almost done inside; just a few more patients are left."

As he spoke, he picked up another corpse and threw it out.

The corpse slammed onto the pile of bodies with a dull thud.

Shangyue stood behind Lin Yi, looking at Mond's appearance, and her lips twitched slightly.

"Rude."

Upon hearing this, Mond frowned instantly.

He stopped what he was doing, turned around and looked at Shangyue, his eyes wide open.

"What did you say?"

“I said rude.” Shang Yue’s tone was flat, her silver eyes showing a hint of disdain. “The Feathered Clan at least wraps corpses in shrouds and buries them. How are you any different from a wild beast, just throwing them away like that?”

"So what if you're from the Feathered Clan? All your fancy formalities are just for show. If you kill someone, you kill them. What difference does it make whether you bury them or not? Stop pretending to be kind!"

Shangyue gave a cold laugh and didn't reply.

But the sarcasm in that smile couldn't be clearer.

Lin Yi ignored their bickering and walked straight into the wooden house.

The interior of the cabin appears more spacious than it does from the outside.

The space is about forty square meters. The floor is rammed earth, and the walls are rough wooden planks, some of which are rotten and cracked, revealing weeds growing outside.

The most striking feature is the enormous array on the ground.

The array is about five meters in diameter, circular in shape, and its edges are engraved with complex runes.

Su Xiao was squatting next to the array diagram, holding a pottery jar in her hand, sprinkling something onto the array diagram.

It was a black ash with a fine texture. After being sprinkled on the array diagram, it quickly seeped into the blood patterns and fused with the original materials.

Lin Yi walked to his side, squatted down, and watched the black ash seep in.

"what is this?"

“Something that can overload the magic circle.” Su Xiao’s tone was calm. “During a normal sacrifice, the magic circle will operate stably and transmit the offering. After overloading, the magic circle will collapse, but in the process of collapse, it will release a large amount of energy. This energy can repel any object that tries to enter.”

Lin Yi instantly understood his plan.

First, use ashes to overload the magic circle, creating a state where it can only send out a small number of items but cannot receive incoming objects.

Then offer something good as a sacrifice so that the ancient gods can taste the sweetness.

Next, place the remaining items outside the magic circle so that the ancient god can see them but cannot reach them.

If the ancient god becomes greedy and cannot resist descending in person, the repulsive energy generated by the overload of the magic array will become a natural trap.

The moment the ancient god descends, one will be struck by energy and unable to escape immediately.

That's when it's time to take action.

What else was prepared?

Su Xiao took out a small cloth bag from her bosom, opened the bag, and revealed the contents inside.

Five Soul Crystals (Complete).

The crystals, about the size of a thumb, were completely transparent with fine, flowing lines inside, gleaming softly under the dim light.

Five complete quality Soul Crystals can be exchanged for Paradise Coins, enough for a low-level contractor to squander on the Workers' Street for several years.

Su Xiao had to spend a lot of money to lure this ancient god.

Lin Yi glanced at the crystals, then at the magic circle that was permeating the black ash.

Is that enough?

Su Xiao shook her head.

"We can try even if it's not enough. It's best if we catch something, but if we don't, we can leave."

His thinking was very clear.

This fishing trip was originally intended to be exploratory.

It would be best if it succeeded, but it wouldn't be a loss if it didn't. At least it confirms that the ancient gods do exist and that they react to resources of the level of soul crystals.

Anyway, this ancient god can't escape.

Lin Yi nodded, stood up, and stepped aside.

The black ash on the magic circle had completely seeped in, and the blood patterns began to emit a faint glow.

The light was initially very faint, almost imperceptible.

But as time went on, it became brighter and brighter, until finally the entire magic circle was shrouded in a layer of dark red light.

hum-

A deep humming sound came from the depths of the magic circle.

Su Xiao placed the five soul crystals in the center of the array diagram.

The buzzing sound intensified the moment the crystal landed on the array.

The dark red light on the array began to surge, gathering towards the crystal as if it were alive.

The rays of light swirled and converged around the crystal, eventually forming a vortex the size of a fist.

The center of the vortex was pitch black, its bottom unseen. Thick darkness surged from the vortex, gradually gathering above to form a heavy shadow.

The shadow had no fixed shape; sometimes it drifted away like mist, and sometimes it coalesced into a blurry human-shaped outline.

It hovered above the array, slowly wriggling, as if observing everything around it.

Su Xiao stepped back a few steps and stood beside Lin Yi, with the Dragon Slayer Sword held horizontally at his waist and his hand on the hilt.

He began to wait.

Time passed by, second by second.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes.

The wooden house was so quiet that only the humming of the array diagram could be heard.

Mond and Shangyue had stopped bickering and stood at the doorway, their eyes fixed on the surging darkness.

I waited for a full five minutes.

The darkness continued to surge above the array, but there were no further changes.

Lin Yi glanced at Su Xiao.

Su Xiao's face was expressionless, but Lin Yi knew what he was thinking.

If this ancient god senses the unusual energy fluctuations here and is cautious enough not to descend in person, then this fishing attempt will fail.

Su Xiao will choose to leave Siren Harbor and go directly to find the true form of the Dharma.

The fact that the other party is so cautious, even resisting the temptation of the soul crystal, shows that this ancient god has indeed become very careful after experiencing the last battle between the gods.

He didn't even reveal any information to his subordinates.

Those cultists who were killed had no idea of ​​the location of the ancient gods; they were merely tools to unilaterally receive "divine pronouncements."

Just as Lin Yi was about to speak, the array diagram suddenly changed.

The buzzing sound suddenly intensified, and the dark red light on the array diagram began to surge violently.

The mass of darkness hovering above the array suddenly contracted, condensing into the shape of a giant hand.

The large hand pressed down, and the five fingers precisely grasped the five soul crystals in the center of the array.

Su Xiao simply watched this scene without making any move.

He is waiting.

Wait until this ancient god takes all the soul crystals, wait until the other party lowers their guard, and wait until the other party's greed continues to grow.

Those crystals that have already been sacrificed are bait.

What we really need to fish for is what we're going to bring out next.

Su Xiao suddenly spoke.

"The sacrifice was truly successful."

His voice was calm, but exceptionally clear in the quiet cabin.

Mondl was momentarily puzzled upon hearing this.

But he didn't show it; he just stood at the doorway, continuing to stare into the darkness.

Lin Yi immediately followed up with Su Xiao's answer.

"We succeeded. The gods really exist. What about the rest..."

His tone carried just the right amount of excitement, like that of a mortal who had just witnessed a miracle.

“Of course, we must sacrifice them all.” Su Xiao continued, his voice carrying a hint of deliberately suppressed excitement. “I hope that the gods will grant me the power to step into the extraordinary realm.”

The two engaged in a perfectly synchronized dialogue.

The mass of darkness hovering above the array trembled slightly.

Lin Yi and Su Xiao simultaneously sensed the sweeping energy fluctuation.

It was some kind of detection-type divine technique. The fluctuations were very subtle and concealed. If the two of them hadn't been extremely sensitive to energy, they wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.

Clearly, this ancient god has noticed what's going on here.

Resources of this caliber (complete) are extremely rare in a world like the Viking Sea.

Ordinary pirates would never see one in their entire lives, and even those extraordinary individuals who have established connections with secret relics may not possess such pure soul crystals.

Even if an ancient god has lived for a very long time, he will not have much in reserve.

Now that someone has finally offered a sacrifice, He is naturally reluctant to part with it.

As for the identities of Lin Yi and Su Xiao, this ancient god must have some concerns.

But judging from the probing fluctuation just now, He has confirmed the surrounding situation.

This configuration posed no threat whatsoever in the eyes of this ancient god.

For Him, there were only a handful of beings on this vast ocean that He could be wary of.

From what we've gathered so far, there are only a few people here. If something goes wrong, we can just kill them all.

After the energy fluctuations dissipated, the darkness began to surge even more violently.

Seeing this, Su Xiao turned and walked outside.

He walked to the door, took out the small cloth bag from his pocket, and poured all the soul crystals inside onto the ground.

Twenty complete soul crystals lay piled on the ground, shimmering softly in the dim light, like a pile of gems left behind in the dust.

The darkness above the array trembled violently.

Those eyes hidden in the darkness saw the pile of crystals.

Su Xiao stood outside the array diagram, less than two meters away from the pile of crystals.

He wanted to see if this ancient god could hold back.

Twenty complete soul crystals—this number is enough to tempt any being.

At the same time, the array began to tremble violently.

The black ash that had previously seeped into the blood veins was now beginning to take effect.

They spread outward from within the blood-red patterns, like countless tiny insects gnawing at the structure of the array.

The buzzing sound became sharp and piercing, and the dark red light on the array began to flicker wildly.

The energy in the air instantly increased dozens of times.

The elements floating in space were stirred up by the violent energy fluctuations, forming countless tiny vortexes that emitted a piercing howl.

Su Xiao and Lin Yi could clearly sense that the energy concentration throughout the entire wooden house was rising rapidly.

At that concentration of energy, an ordinary person standing inside would be torn to shreds.

The magic circle is overloaded.

The black ash completely destroyed the array's stable structure, pushing it to the brink of collapse.

Before it completely collapses, it creates a violent energy barrier that repels anything that tries to pass through it.

Unless one's strength far exceeds the capacity of this magic array, it is impossible to forcibly break through this barrier.

The ancient god before them had clearly not reached that level yet.

The mass of darkness hovering above the array diagram began to surge violently.

The giant hand tried to press down, but it was repelled by violent energy the moment it touched the edge of the array. It tried again, unwilling to give up, only to be met with even more intense repulsion.

"Mortal, I accept your offering."

A deep voice came from the darkness, as if it were surging from the deepest part of the earth, carrying endless majesty and oppression.

Su Xiao didn't reply, but simply took a few steps back and looked around.

The voice continued, with a barely perceptible urgency in its tone.

"Don't panic, continue offering these stones, and I will make you my spiritual sacrifice."

Su Xiao looked at the darkness and spoke slowly.

"But I can't get over it."

His current role is that of a clueless newbie who has just set sail and encountered a miracle on his first sacrifice. In his excitement, he is completely unaware of these complicated rules.

The darkness remained silent for a moment.

The ancient god glanced at the violently trembling magic circle and began to curse inwardly.

Which sect's followers created this magic circle? It's so crudely made.

With the array diagram overloaded to such an extent and the energy so violently surging, it's no wonder Su Xiao couldn't get close.

Such a concentration of energy is so high that, apart from the spiritual priests of a few core sects who can barely withstand it, the vast majority of mortals simply cannot get close to it.

The ancient god fell silent.

The darkness surged for a moment, then began to spin violently, coalescing into a black vortex at the edge of the array.

The vortex slowly rotated, growing larger and deeper.

ka ka ka-

The sound of something breaking came from the depths of the vortex, like shattering glass or breaking bones.

A large, gray-black hand emerged from the vortex.

Lin Yi's gaze fell on that hand.

Exoskeleton.

Typical characteristics of an ancient god.

Such beings typically need to evolve by absorbing energy of the same origin, and soul crystals are one of the best sources of nourishment.

No wonder He was in such a hurry; twenty perfect-quality soul crystals would be enough to elevate His strength to a higher level.

But a hint of regret flashed in Lin Yi's eyes.

The other party is still too cautious.

Even faced with the temptation of twenty soul crystals, it didn't fully arrive; only an arm came over.

If He were to come over in his entirety, we would have a sure thing today.

But the fact that only one hand came over means that His core is still in that unknown space and can be withdrawn at any time.

The giant hand reached out from the vortex, its five fingers spread wide, and grabbed at the pile of soul crystals on the ground.

At that moment, Su Xiao made a move.

Without any warning, he vanished from the spot.

The dragon's shadow flashed.

This skill allows him to ignore spatial obstacles and pass through them directly over short distances.

At this moment, he was not using this skill to seek stealth, but speed.

The burst of speed was so fast that even the ancient gods couldn't react.

When Su Xiao reappeared, he was already next to that giant hand, less than a meter away.

The Dragon Slayer Flash was drawn.

'Blade of the Blade - Ultimate'

The blade rang out crisply, and the bluish-green light of the blade traced a perfect arc in the air.

This slash was incredibly fast, so fast that it left only a blur, so fast that the blade made no sound as it sliced ​​through the air, so fast that the owner of the large hand didn't even realize that danger had befallen them.

But the ancient gods were very wary.

From the moment He descended, He maintained a minimum level of vigilance. Although startled by Su Xiao's speed, His instinct still made Him shrink back.

The tip of the Dragon Slayer's Blade grazed the ancient god's little finger.

The blade cuts into the exoskeleton, into the skin, into the muscle, but that's all.

The wound was less than half a centimeter deep; to that large, thick hand, it wasn't even a superficial injury.

A few drops of dark red blood seeped from the wound and dripped onto the ground.

"You insignificant mortal, how dare you—"

The voice of the ancient god came from the vortex, a voice filled with anger at being offended, but even more so with a condescending contempt.

In His view, this mortal's attack was like an ant biting an elephant, which did nothing but prove His own foolishness.

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Yi made a move.

He raised his right hand, his five fingers spread.

Dark Soul Silk instantly surged from his palm.

The moment the silk threads touched the exoskeleton, they immediately contracted, cutting into the gaps between the scales and into the texture of the skin, like countless tiny venomous snakes, binding the hand tightly.

The ancient god tried to break free.

He pulled back forcefully, his hand causing his entire arm to struggle violently, and bursts of energy rippled through the space deep within the vortex.

But the Dark Soul Silk remained completely still.

Those seemingly delicate threads were now stronger than any chain.

They dug into the gaps in the exoskeleton, holding the hand firmly in place.

The ancient god exerted his strength once more.

Still unable to break free.

This time, there was a change in the voice.

It was no longer contempt, no longer anger, but an undisguised astonishment.

Lin Yi suddenly pulled his hand back.

The Dark Soul Silk suddenly tightened, and the power traveled along the silk to the ancient god's arm.

The next second, the ancient god was pulled over by Lin Yi from the teleportation channel.

The black vortex suddenly expanded, and a massive figure was forcibly dragged out from its depths. (End of Chapter)