Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

Popgar led the way in front, taking Lin Yi through many turns and finally stopped in front of a door.

Pushing open the door, there is a different world inside, a room filled with surveillance cameras.

In the middle of the room, there was a somewhat worn-out chair with a young man slumped on it.

He was wearing a baseball cap, his hair was greasy and messy under the brim, and his T-shirt was covered with black oil stains, as if it had not been washed in a long time.

With this appearance, if anyone saw him on the street, they would think he was an idle otaku who was just wasting his time, and there was no way to associate him with the dreaded leader of the Asaka organization.

"What would you like to drink? Tea, coffee, or those novel drinks specially provided in the park?" Shadow said as he walked to the wall and reached out to open the refrigerator door.

Lin Yi took a look and was a little surprised to see that there were actually several cans of Sprite and Coke neatly arranged in the refrigerator. Among the colorful drinks that he couldn't name, they looked particularly familiar and friendly.

The relationship between the Asaka organization and the contractors is far from close.

If you think about it carefully, this is actually not difficult to understand. The philosophy upheld by the Asaka organization is in perfect harmony with the inner thoughts of the contractors.

Most of the contractors like to complete various tasks quietly and then receive generous rewards. This mode of behavior perfectly meets their psychological expectations.

Over time, more and more contractors choose to join the Asaka organization and find a part-time job while they are training in the shallow layer of the Black Abyss.

Over time, every aspect of the Asaka organization has been infiltrated and influenced by the habits of the contractors, and its style of doing things and internal atmosphere have also changed.

"Tea will do."

Lin Yi sat on a sofa opposite the shadow. The leather of the sofa was a bit old and made a slight creaking sound when he sat on it.

As for Pope Gar, he stood at the door, his eyes glancing outside from time to time.

Even in this secret room, no one dares to be sure that they are absolutely safe at this moment.

The ancestor has soul vines, which give him the special ability to detect the aura of a large surrounding area, and any slight disturbance may be detected.

Fortunately, the Original Ancestor usually tries not to provoke people from the Asaka organization. Everyone goes their own way and does not disturb each other.

The Asaka organization had promised long ago that unless it was absolutely necessary, they would never take on any mission related to the ancestor.

This tacit understanding can be regarded as the Asaka organization giving enough face to the ancestor, allowing both parties to temporarily maintain superficial calm.

"I heard from No. 16 that the doctor is here to look for something."

Shadow got up and made a pot of tea for Lin Yi. The aroma of tea wafted around. Lin Yi sniffed it gently and judged from the elegant fragrance that it should be white tea.

"Well, now that we're here, I won't beat around the bush and will issue a task."

Lin Yi understood that when dealing with organizations like Asaka, personal relationships were one thing, but if there was no real reward, it was basically impossible to expect them to care about his business.

Sure enough, when Shadow, who had been looking somewhat casual, heard that Lin Yi was preparing to take on the next task, his eyes immediately lit up.

"Okay, I wonder what you are going to look for, Mr. Doctor, and what the reward is?"

Shadow picked up the tea in front of him and gently blew on the tea leaves floating on the water, but his eyes were staring straight at Lin Yi with a hint of temptation in his eyes.

This time, Shadow's purpose of contact was not only to discuss business, but also to take the opportunity to assess Lin Yi's strength. He was thinking whether it was necessary to get close to this "big tree" of Lin Yi.

"What I'm looking for is the seed of Hellfire. As for the reward, I will pay you with a leaf of the Fengyang tree."

"Fengyang tree?"

Shadow repeated it subconsciously, a hint of astonishment flashing across his face.

Fortunately, Shadow reacted quickly enough. While picking up the teacup to sip the tea, he quickly used the cup to cover most of his face and suppressed the fleeting look of astonishment without making a sound.

"Yes, Mr. Doctor has so much trust in our Asaka organization, we will certainly not let you down."

Shadow sat on the chair and after thinking for a while, he quickly made a decision and stood up, intending to take on this mission himself.

"No. 16, take Mr. Lin out first."

Popgar responded and walked outside with Lin Yi.

After a while, the two returned to the collapsed house. The ruins were scattered all over the place, showing a sense of desolation and desolation.

About five minutes later, a figure in a black robe appeared in Lin Yi's sight.

The moment he saw the shadow, Lin Yi frowned. The current shadow was completely different from the previous one.

If it really comes down to a life-and-death battle, the two sides will be roughly split 30-70, with Lin Yi at 30 and the other side at 70.

"Let's go. Although I haven't heard of this kind of thing, there is someone who definitely knows what you are looking for." Shadow threw down this sentence and strode forward, raising some dust under his feet. His target was the ancestral territory that had just been attacked by the demons.

……

The shallow layer of the Abyss, the Redeemer's Heights, the central area.

On the cold and hard stone altar, a burly man with bare upper body and animal skins on his shoulders sat cross-legged. His muscles were like cast iron, and his blood vessels seemed to have their own thoughts, beating and twitching randomly.

"Whoo~"

The burly man let out a long sigh, and clenched his palms. Immediately, a soul vine emerged from the crack of the altar and wrapped around his hands.

"This is the power left by our ancestors. No outsider can take it away."

The burly man snapped the soul vine in half. The severed part did not wither, but instead twisted in his hand like agile octopus tentacles.

The man stared at the soul vine in his hand, hesitated briefly, and then stuffed it into his mouth.

A few minutes later.

"Woo!!"

A roar suddenly broke through the throat, but it seemed to be covered by something and could not make any sound. Only the distorted face and bulging blue veins showed the great pain the owner was enduring.

The blood was burning fiercely in the body and was consumed bit by bit, while new and unknown things were quietly growing, ready to replace it.

Saint Zaga got up from the ground. He felt that his body was very strange. It felt as if his various organs had independent thinking.

Although he violated the taboo of his ancestors, there was nothing he could do about it. He could not continue to tolerate things that originally belonged to him being plundered again, so he had to fight to the death.

"This feeling……"

Saint Zaga stretched out his arms. Although the feeling in his body was strange, the sense of strength was comforting.

When Saint Zaga was reveling in his own power, his ears moved.

"Who?! Come out!"

Saint Zaga is the leader of the ancestral forces, but the word "leader" is somewhat misleading.

By his generation, the family had already withered away, and he was the only one left in the direct line of blood.

"Long time no see, Saint Zaga."

Under the gaze of Saint Zaga, the shadow appeared in Saint Zaga's eyes with Lin Yi and Pope Gal.

"Shadow? How could you bear to come out?"

After seeing the person coming, Saint Zaga's tense muscles relaxed.

Having just been attacked by the demons, Saint Zaga looked extremely nervous.

If it was someone else who came, Saint Zaga would have taken action by now.

Fortunately, it was Shadow who came. The two had dealt with each other many times. Saint Zaga was quite familiar with Shadow's style of doing things, and he knew in his heart that the other party probably did not come to cause trouble.

"I can't help it. I need your help with something this time."

"Price." There is no free lunch in this world. I can help you, but let's discuss the compensation first.

"Help you find out what the demon clan that just attacked you is called."

"Good! Deal!"

Hearing the reward Shadow was going to give, Saint Zaga agreed without any hesitation.

For Saint Zaga, the behavior of the demons was equivalent to a slap in the face of the ancestor. If Saint Zaga just swallowed his anger and did not look for an opportunity to retaliate, the reputation of the ancestor would be greatly damaged.

Under such circumstances, it would be difficult for Saint Zaga to defend such a large territory of the Ancestor alone.

"What can I do for you?"

After confirming that Shadow was not here to cause trouble, Saint Zaga's tense nerves relaxed.

He manipulated the soul vines skillfully. Those vines were like flexible silk ribbons, quickly interweaving and entwining in front of the few people, and in the blink of an eye they formed a uniquely shaped table.

"Have you ever heard of the 'Seed of Hellfire'?"

"Why do you need this thing?" After hearing Shadow's words, Saint Zaga's expression changed slightly.

"It's not me who needs it, it's this gentleman who needs it." The shadow pointed at Lin Yi standing beside him, and Saint Zaga then turned his attention to Lin Yi.

"I'm sorry, I do know this thing, but I will never hand it over. Please go back, all three of you." After struggling and weighing the pros and cons in his heart for a while, Shengza finally stood up and made a gesture to see the guests off.

The Seed of Hellfire is inextricably linked to the territory guarded by Saint Zaga.

The so-called seed of hellfire is actually a ball of fire that has condensed from countless soul fragments over endless years.

When a Hellfire Seed is activated or touched, it releases an invisible flame that can act directly on souls.

Once the soul is hurt by the hellfire, it will be unspeakable pain.

Trauma at the soul level is different from physical wounds. It will make people feel powerless and despair from the depths of their spirit, as if the entire consciousness has been thrown into an endless purgatory and is suffering.

For Saint Zaga, the Seed of Hellfire is equivalent to the legacy of his ancestors.

From the name of the power of the Ancestor, it can be seen how much Saint Zaga values ​​his family.

"Mr. Saint Zaga, your body is on the verge of collapse."

Just when Saint Zaga was about to leave, Lin Yi's sudden words made Saint Zaga pause instantly, and the step he had just taken froze in mid-air.

"What nonsense are you talking about! I have inherited the great power of my ancestors! It is not the turn of an unknown person like you to comment on me casually." Saint Zaga moved very quickly and came in front of Lin Yi almost instantly.

The two men's faces were very close, separated only by the mask on Lin Yi's face.

The soul vines behind Saint Zaga seemed to sense the anger of their master and began to dance wildly and uncontrollably.

There was no fear in Lin Yi's eyes behind the mask, and he even sneered.

This laugh was particularly harsh in the silent atmosphere, and it made him even more furious when it came from Saint Zaga.

Just as Saint Zaga was about to take action, Lin Yi's finger gently touched a spot on Saint Zaga's arm.

After being hit by Lin Yi, the originally peaceful blood vessels on Saint Zaga's arm seemed to suddenly go crazy and completely out of his control, bulging and undulating on his arm, as if there were countless agile vines, freely moving and weaving under his flesh.

"Damn it, what did you do?" Saint Zaga was shocked and angry. He took two steps back and beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

He did not dare to slack off at all, and immediately concentrated all his attention on suppressing the power in his body that was beginning to run wildly out of control.

After a long time, the abnormalities in his body gradually subsided and he returned to normal.

"I didn't do anything. Your body must have absorbed this special power from the outside world not long ago. In the short term, it can indeed greatly increase your combat effectiveness, but as time goes by, this power will become the master and use your body as nourishment. In the end, you will be left with only a pile of bones."

"To be honest, I'm confused. Who taught you this method? If you chose to coexist gently with the soul vines and gradually improve your own strength, why would you do this? Using such a violent method, it's as if someone is eager for you to die soon."

There was a hint of doubt in Lin Yi's tone. This method was almost the same as drinking poison to quench thirst. At first glance, it could indeed make the combat power soar to a terrifying height in the blink of an eye, but the price behind it was too heavy.

As time goes by, he will be no different from the walking dead in the ancestral forces, reduced to a cold corpse controlled by soul vines, with only a shell left but no self-will.

After hearing Lin Yi's last words, Saint Zaga, who was originally full of anger, twitched his eyes, and then seemed to have thought of something. He raised his head and controlled the soul vines to block the surrounding area.

"What you meant just now is that there is something wrong with my method?" Saint Zaga took a deep breath. The shadow next to him saw that Saint Zaga did not touch the chair, so he sat on the chair and did not say anything.

"It's not just a problem, it's a very big problem."

"In the void, there are countless systems that gain power through symbiosis with plants, but most of them will not rashly devour the other party's power like you do. You are simply playing with your life by doing this, which is no different from seeking death!"

"The person who taught you this method must have bad intentions. There are obviously gentler ways for you to choose, but you chose the one that is most harmful to your body."

Lin Yi's words seemed to hit Saint Zaga's heart, causing him to fall into silence.

Saint Zaga pursed his lips tightly, frowned, and it seemed as if a myriad of thoughts were swirling rapidly in his mind.

Lin Yi was in no hurry to break the silence. He leaned back in his chair and waited patiently.

Lin Yi held the initiative. He was certain that Saint Zaga would have to hand over the Seed of Netherfire sooner or later for his own safety, so he was not panicked at all and waited quietly for Saint Zaga to speak first.

"who are you?"

Saint Zaga took a deep breath and looked at Lin Yi who was sitting opposite him.

"If it's a physical problem, you'd better trust Saint Zaga. There are few people in the entire void who are more authoritative than him in this regard."

Shadow's words suddenly rang out. Saint Zaga knew Shadow's character very well. This man was always cautious and would never speak without basis. Since he said so, the person opposite must be really capable.

"So, is there a solution?"

"Where's the reward?"

"I can give you all three Hellfire Seeds." Saint Zaga gritted his teeth and offered a price that he thought was quite generous.

"Not enough. Your physical condition is very serious. With only the Seed of Nether Fire, I can only give you a solution. It is far from enough for me to help you deal with it myself." Lin Yi put down the teacup in his hand, but there was no room for negotiation in his words.

"If you can really help me recover, I can pay you 400 grams of soul stone (equivalent to 8 soul crystals·complete) as a price."

Saint Zaga frowned, and after some inner struggle and consideration, he quoted another price.

In addition to producing soul fruits, soul vines can also absorb free soul power in the air to produce soul crystals, which is why Saint Zaga has no shortage of soul stones.

Hearing this, Lin Yi finally nodded.

"Okay, do you need me to give you anesthesia during the operation?"

"Anesthetic. No need." After hearing Lin Yi's words, Saint Zaga hesitated for a moment, and finally rejected Lin Yi's kindness.

"Okay, is there a cleaner place? There's no way to perform surgery in this damn place."

"Yes, but you can only go alone." Saint Zaga looked past Lin Yi and looked at Shadow and Popgar. The meaning of his words was very clear.

Shadow shrugged, indicating that it didn't matter.

His core mission this time was to help Lin Yi find out the news about the Nether Fire Seed. Now that he has some clues, the mission is successfully completed for him.

Under the guidance of Saint Zaga, Lin Yi followed closely behind him and walked towards the palace complex.

It is not difficult to guess that the number of people in this lineage of the ancestor must have been extremely considerable in the past.

But as time went by, there seemed to be problems with the reproduction of the ancestors, and now only Saint Zaga is still alive.

“Is this place okay?”

Under the guidance of Saint Zaga, Lin Yi came to a very clean room.

This room was originally the ancestor's laboratory, but over time, these areas have lost their original functions. However, thanks to the cleaning of the assimilated ones, the rooms inside the palace are still very tidy.

"Okay, lie down. I'll diagnose the extent to which your body has been eroded." After Saint Zaga lay down, Lin Yi took out a scalpel.

After the scalpel's blade touched Saint Zaga's arm, there was a crisp "swish" sound, and the scalpel's blade instantly broke, and tiny metal fragments flew everywhere.

Saint Zaga's arm is now as rough as a dead tree, and an ordinary scalpel can no longer cause any harm to him.

"Use this." Seeing that the blade of Lin Yi's scalpel was broken, Saint Zaga controlled the soul vines and handed a simple-looking dagger to Lin Yi.

After Lin Yi took it, he found that this dagger was actually an epic dagger, but its attributes were very ordinary. After all, it was only a dagger used for sacrifice, and its original intention was not to kill the enemy. If one really expected to use it to take someone's life in a battle, it would definitely not be reliable.

Although it is not very effective in killing people, it can still be used to break through the defense of Saint Zaga without any problem.

After the dagger pierced into Saint Zaga's arm, Lin Yi noticed that Saint Zaga's expression did not fluctuate at all, as if it was not his own body that was stabbed.

"Does it hurt?" After hearing Lin Yi's question, Saint Zaga shook his head.

"It looks like the erosion has affected your nervous system. This is a bit tricky."

Since conventional stimulation couldn't make Saint Zaga feel anything, it meant that the problem was more serious than imagined. Lin Yi no longer hesitated and directly increased the movement of his hands.

He raised his knife and slashed it down, completely cutting Saint Zaga's arm with one swift move. The flesh rolled back, revealing the shocking scene inside.

The liquid flowing from Saint Zaga's arm was no longer normal bright red blood. Instead, it looked like tissue fluid exuded from plants. From a distance, it appeared a light red.

In Saint Zaga's arms, countless slender vines densely wrapped around the muscles and penetrated deeply into them. The vines and flesh merged and coexisted in a weird way.

As Saint Zaga breathes, the light of these vines alternates between bright and dark, as if they are moving in sync with the vital signs of their master.

Lin Yi lightly poked one of the vines with the dagger, and almost at the same moment, Saint Zaga, who had been silent all this time, suddenly groaned in pain.

"Don't touch it."

Saint Zaga's voice changed its tone. The moment Lin Yi touched the vines with the dagger, a sharp pain swept towards his brain like a surging tide, making him feel as if his head was being tightly grasped by an invisible big hand.

"It's troublesome. It seems that the erosion of the vines is more serious than I thought." Lin Yi put down the dagger in his hand and began to think about how to deal with the problem of Saint Zaga.

"Is it serious?"

"It's very serious. If I had come a month later, you would have become a vegetable without anyone else having to do anything." Lin Yi was not joking when he said this. Saint Zhaga's nervous system has now been replaced by vines.

As time goes by, his brain will be gradually eroded by the vines, and he will eventually become a puppet of the soul vines, with a human form but no independent consciousness. (End of this chapter)