Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

"Your Excellency the Duke, the Imperial Parliament has sent an envoy."

"what's up?"

Of course, he knew what the Imperial Parliament meant - it was not the empire's official power body, but it was above the Senate and the royal family.

The parliament consisted of four people: Elder Bloomer, Princess Sayeto, Duke Silver Feather, and the little Duke who was only nine years old.

The empire now has no king, and all major affairs are decided by the parliament. Although the laws set by the Black King prevent it from becoming a formal authority, its influence is unmatched.

"The messenger brought an invitation for Princess Pedeira to join the Imperial Parliament."

"Sir, this is..."

"I know."

Su Xiao knew who did it without even thinking about it. After the failed assassination last night, Bloomer must have realized that Princess Pedela's ascension to the throne was a foregone conclusion.

Instead of watching Su Xiao accumulate strength in the dark, it is better to push him into the open and make him the target of public criticism.

As a result, Su Xiao's opponents increased from one to four - those people in the parliament had been checking and balancing each other for many years, and no one could do anything to anyone else, but they would never tolerate the rapid rise of a new challenger.

"What time is the invitation?"

"Eight o'clock in the morning."

Hearing this, Wu Fu's face became even uglier. It was already seven thirty.

In other words, this was clearly a carefully calculated time.

The other party didn't intend to give them any chance to consider. They had to either go to the appointment immediately or give up.

"Understood." Su Xiao stood up, his black coat swaying slightly with his movements, "Wu Fu, the manor is left to you."

He glanced at the other people in the room, paused for a moment, and then changed his words: "Forget it, you three, just stay here."

As for Princess Pedela? Su Xiao glanced at the timid figure in the corner - it would be better not to take this little white rabbit with him.

He shook his head secretly, taking her there would be just asking for trouble.

In the end, Su Xiao only asked the old charlatan and Lin Yi to accompany him.

Those old foxes in the Imperial Parliament are not easy to deal with. Even if Pedela is brought over, they know very well that the princess is just a puppet.

Instead of doing this, it would be better to let her stay in the manor peacefully.

……

In the center of the holy city, inside a magnificent hall.

There is a round metal conference table in the main hall of the hall. The table is pitch black, and the sculpture of the Eye of Power in the center gives people a sense of majesty. There are twelve chairs beside the table.

The most eye-catching thing was the little boy who casually put his legs on the table.

He was wearing an elegant black and red robe, with his long black hair casually draped over his head. He was yawning and rubbing his eyes, looking as if he had not yet woken up - this was the nine-year-old little duke.

Beside him, the Duke of Silver Feather sat elegantly.

This nobleman, who was about thirty years old, had a carefully trimmed moustache and a permanent, gentle smile on his face that was difficult to fathom.

Opposite the two of them was a woman with short silver hair and wearing close-fitting armor that combined soft leather with red plates. This woman had red eyes and when she looked at someone, she would first look at the throat, heart and other vital parts.

As for the last person, it was Bloomer, the old fox who was wearing light clothes and rubbing his temples with his hands.

Da da da
A sound of unhurried footsteps came from outside the hall, and the four of them turned their heads to look at the same time.

When they saw the person's appearance clearly, a fleeting look of surprise appeared on the four faces at the same time.

Su Xiao walked slowly into the hall, his black coat stained with blood that had not yet dried, leaving a faint trace of blood on the smooth marble floor.

"I arrived too late and was attacked on the way. Fortunately, I had Ken Lahan to protect me."

Su Xiao was indeed assassinated, and it happened on the street. What surprised him even more was that five groups of assassins came one after another.

[Reminder: The main quest, The Struggle for Kingship (Ring 1) has been completed. The hunter has directly participated in the struggle for kingship.]

[You obtain Soul Crystal (Complete) x 2. ]

[The second ring of the main mission has been activated. ]

[Main Quest: Black Throne (Second Ring)]

Difficulty level: Lv.48
Mission information: Find the Black Throne and obtain the World Core embedded in the Black Throne.

Task period: 19 days

Mission Reward: Epic Treasure Chest
Mission punishment: forced execution.

Warning: If the violator obtains the source of the world in advance, the main quest will fail immediately.

……

"He is qualified to stand here, but who is this person?" The little duke glanced at Lin Yi. When Su Xiao stepped into the hall, the eyes of everyone present were focused on the arm armor on his arm that was emitting a dark light - [Black·King's Falling Sacrifice].

This holy object inherited from the Black King silently declared the legitimacy of Su Xiao as the successor.

Even though he had no royal blood, his status surpassed most members of the royal family just by virtue of this token.

But political games never stop because of orthodoxy.

The spearheads that were originally ready to be launched immediately changed direction after discovering the new target - the Little Duke, the Silver Feather Duke and Princess Sayato exchanged a tacit look, and almost at the same time turned the focus of the attack to Lin Yi, who seemed to be easier to deal with.

"This person is also the successor chosen by the king's will."

The old charlatan stood behind the two of them, like a butler.

"Two heirs?" The young duke exaggeratedly drew out his voice, with a sarcasm that did not match his age on his young face. "When did the king become so generous?"

Lin Yi raised his eyebrows and stood up from his chair before he finished speaking.

At this moment, the old charlatan's skinny fingers held down Lin Yi tightly, while Bloomer, contrary to his usual behavior, stood in front of Lin Yi. The face that always showed calculation now showed a rare tension.

"Forget it, it's really not necessary."

"If the king's subjects descend upon the Council Hall, the entire Holy City will tremble. Do you want to stop the heart of the empire?"

At this moment, the old charlatan and Bloomer were comforting Lin Yi one after another. It was hard to tell that Bloomer had sent assassins to kill Su Xiao and Lin Yi last night.

These words were spoken very softly, but they caused the wine glass in Duke Silver Feather's hand to tremble slightly.

The little duke had put away his cynical expression at some point, and Sayato's right hand had instinctively pressed on the short blade at his waist.

The three members of the parliament exchanged a knowing look - the man who could make these two old foxes lose their composure like this must have the terrifying power to subvert the entire empire.

"It's okay. Don't they need proof? Then let me ask you now, do you really need me to prove it?"

Lin Yi clenched his left hand, and a coin appeared in his hand.

As the shadow of the coin appeared, everyone present felt a shock in their hearts, as if something terrifying was staring at everyone present.

The little duke opened his mouth, and for the first time, real fear appeared in his eyes, which were always full of playfulness.

He finally said nothing, just shook his head stiffly.

The light in the hall began to distort, and the colors faded like an oil painting washed by rain.

Under the horrified gaze of the crowd, the shadow of a ruined city spread out from under Lin Yi's feet - a broken bell tower, a collapsed city wall, and rusty metal wreckage, every detail exuded the breath of death.

"Living beings! I feel living beings!"

"Is it time?"

"Damn it! Who is it!"

Hoarse whispers came from all directions, as if countless indescribable beings were peering into the parliament hall through the cracks in time and space.

Amid the crackling sound of bones rubbing against each other, a figure covered in rotten black linen slowly emerged.

A gray face was revealed under the tattered hood, with dry skin clinging to the skull and cloudy eyeballs moving mechanically.

When its gaze fell on the [Black King's Falling Sacrifice] on Su Xiao's left arm, the decayed body paused noticeably.

But what was even more horrifying was that when it turned to Lin Yi, a hint of something almost human emerged on that terrifying face - curiosity.

The Duke of Silver Feather's wine glass fell to the ground with a thud, and the dark red wine flowed on the ground, looking like spreading blood.

[Comparing the intelligence attributes of both parties...Comparison completed, our intelligence attribute is 1.42 times that of the enemy. Because the enemy's rank is higher, only 74% of the enemy's information is obtained.] The information is as follows
Name: Prisoner Chila

Category: Residents of the Dead City
Position: Black King Zuo Yu
HP: 71.8% (corrosion and assimilation in progress...)
Death Power: 9245/9500 points

Strength: 119 (true attribute)
Agility: 102 (true attribute)
Physical strength: 120 (real attribute)
Intelligence: 75
Charisma: 3
Skill 1, People of the Dead (Passive, LV.66): HP +7000 points, no pain, 30% reduction in physical damage, 50% reduction in holy damage, 50% reduction in dark damage.

Skill 2, King Guardian (Passive, Lv. 40): If within 300 meters of the Black King, all attributes +5 (except luck attribute), and wearing Midnight Armor, the outer armor defense is increased by 130 points, and the physical defense is increased by 30 points.

Skill 3, Cavalry Regiment (Active, Lv.57): If within 300 meters of the Black King, Prisoner Chila can summon a 30-man Death Cavalry Regiment, located in the Dead Silence City. The Death Cavalry Regiment is absolutely immortal and will disappear after the Prisoner Chila is eliminated.

Skill 4, Master of Unarmed Combat (Passive, Lv. 29): Details not visible.

Skill 5, Unarmed Combat Grandmaster Lv.20 Derivative Abilities: Details not visible.

Skill 6, Unarmed Combat Grandmaster Lv.10 Derivative Ability·Man of Steel: Details not visible.

Skill 7, Heart Snatcher (Active, Lv.70): Prisoner Chila's entire right arm turns into a dead soul. If it gets close to him and is paralyzed by the ??? ability, it will ignore external defense, physical defense, and body resistance and take away his heart.

???

???

……

As the monster appeared, the shadow of the coin in Lin Yi's hand trembled slightly, emitting a dim light. The air around him seemed to solidify, and even breathing became extremely difficult.

The little duke's face turned pale instantly. He subconsciously took a step back and rolled his throat, but no sound came out.

For the first time, Duke Silver Feather's fake smile completely collapsed.

He instinctively pressed the sword at his waist, but froze the moment he touched the hilt - like a frog being stared at by a snake, even the slightest movement would result in disaster.

Princess Sayato's red pupils shrank violently, and her proud fighting instinct was sending out crazy warnings.

Obviously, the monster summoned by Lin Yi this time was beyond everyone's expectations.

They had never felt such pure oppression before - it was not a gap in strength, but a higher level of deterrence that was almost like a law.

A trace of cold sweat oozed from the old charlatan's forehead. He whispered quickly, "Enough! If you continue, the balance will be broken!"

Bloomer's fingers trembled slightly. He stared at the coin in Lin Yi's hand, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes - fear, greed, and even a hint of imperceptible fanaticism.

But in the end, he just gritted his teeth and said: "...We believe in your qualifications, put away your power."

"I don't want to go back! I don't want to go back!"

A shrill howl suddenly tore through the heavy air, and a hunched figure rushed out frantically from the edge of the phantom. Its rotten finger bones actually penetrated the boundary between reality and illusion, and condensed into a solid entity in the real world.

"Who told you to come out? Get out!"

Lin Yi's angry roar was like thunder, the power of the abyss swept out like a tidal wave, and the temperature of the entire room dropped sharply.

The resident of Dead City who rushed out from the shadow suddenly stopped, as if his throat was strangled by an invisible giant hand, and his struggling movement came to an abrupt stop.

"No... no... please..." His voice was hoarse and desperate, and his dry fingers stretched forward as if trying to grab something, but the power of the abyss had already wrapped around him mercilessly.

laugh--

Like paper burned by flames, his body began to disintegrate rapidly, gray-black dust peeled off the surface of his skin, and turned into wisps of black smoke that dissipated into the air.

His wails became weaker and weaker, and finally disappeared completely, without even a trace left.

The fingertips of the Duke of Silver Feather trembled slightly, and the little Duke slumped directly into the chair, his face as pale as paper.

Being able to become high-ranking officials of the empire, the people here naturally know where the phantom summoned by Lin Yi comes from.

Dead silent city.

This term, which only existed in the forbidden chapters of the Imperial Secret Codex, now turned into tangible fear that gripped everyone's heart.

The old charlatan's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just sighed deeply.

A hint of fear and...excitement flashed in Bloomer's eyes. His fingers unconsciously stroked his cuffs, as if he was suppressing some impulse.

Lin Yi retracted his five fingers, and the shadow of the coin disappeared instantly, and the illusion of the ruined city also receded like the tide.

The colors in the room returned to normal, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion.

Lin Yi glanced at everyone coldly, and slowly withdrew the power of the abyss into his body. As the power converged, the suffocating feeling of oppression in the room gradually dissipated, but the air still lingered with a palpitating aftermath.

He said calmly: "Next time, if someone questions my qualifications..."

His eyes fell on the little duke, who trembled all over and quickly lowered his head, never daring to look him in the eye again.

"I don't mind having you all...visit the Dead Silence City in person."

No one present at this moment refuted. In the eyes of everyone, Lin Yi was now a bottomless and terrifying existence.

Even the Death City couldn't do anything to Lin Yi, so how could they, the royal family who didn't even dare to set foot on the edge of Death, be able to compete with him?
Su Xiao saw this scene and swallowed back the words he had prepared.

With Lin Yi's intimidation, everyone present understood that the so-called legitimacy of Lin Yi and Su Xiao was simply not comparable to that of the royal families who relied on their bloodline to ascend to the throne.

"I came here today for only one thing, to invite you all to give up your qualifications for this time."

Su Xiao's voice was very plain, but it was very explosive in the ears of others.

Except for Bloomer who had expected this, the other three turned their eyes to Su Xiao almost at the same time, their eyes filled with incredible shock and suspicion.

"What? You don't want to give up? Do you want to experience the power of dead silence for yourself?"

Lin Yi interrupted at the right time, drawing everyone's attention back to himself.

"Facing the power of death?"

"We... need time to think about it." The little Duke's forehead was already covered with cold sweat. It could be seen that Lin Yi's actions did make the little Duke feel a little flustered.

"Time? The silence will not wait. It is approaching, and you—you have no choice."

Bloomer suddenly laughed, breaking the solemn atmosphere in the room: "Interesting, really interesting."

His eyes moved between Lin Yi and Su Xiao, "What exactly are you planning? Is it just to make us give up our qualifications? Or...what are you afraid of?"

Lin Yi's eyes suddenly turned cold: "Bloomer, are you testing my patience?"

Bloomer spread his hands and said casually, "No, I don't dare. I'm just curious. After all, how could an existence that even Dead Silence City fears be interested in little people like us?"

"Insignificant people?" Lin Yi snorted coldly, "You are not insignificant people. You are the blood of the royal family, and you are the sacrifice that Death Silence desires the most."

These words were like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.

Sacrifice?

Could it be that……

Duke Silver Feather stood up suddenly, his voice trembling: "You mean, the target of Dead Silence is us?"

Lin Yi did not answer, but his silence said it all.

"So, who among you wants to become a sacrifice to face the threat of Dead Silence City? Of course, if you feel that what we said is not detailed enough, you can ask Kenlahan. This guy knows everything about this matter."

Lin Yi pointed at the old charlatan who was standing silently at the back. At this moment, no one was more suitable than Kenlahan, the right-hand man of the Black King.

"Sir, I don't know about this."

The two dukes looked at Kenrahan at the same time, with a hint of respect in their tone.

"Alas, the mission of becoming a king is to resist the erosion of death. If you insist on becoming king, the first thing you will face is the swallowing of the origin of death. The king is running out of time."

Kenrahan's words were like a heavy hammer, completely shattering their last bit of hope.

Duke Silver Feather's lips trembled, and his voice was dry: "So. That's why the late king..."

"That's right." A trace of sadness flashed across Kenrahan's cloudy eyes. "Everyone who sits on the throne will eventually become a barrier against death. The empire needs a new king, not for the transfer of power, but for sacrifice."

Lin Yi leaned lazily on the carved chair back, tapping the armrest with his fingertips from time to time: "So now——"

He drawled out his tone, his eyes sweeping across everyone's face, "Is there any other warrior who wants to fight for this throne? If there is anyone who can't wait to sit on that position, we can withdraw now."

The hall fell into deathly silence. Even Bloomer, who was always shrewd and calculating, looked gloomy at this moment, and his slender fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of the crystal wine glass.

He did expect that becoming king would require a price, but he never expected that the price would be to become a barrier against death. (End of this chapter)