Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

"See that?" A man walked up to Lin Yi, his eyes looking down at the staggering figures in the forest below. "That battle back then... was far more brutal than you can imagine."

“The records of that period of history have now been lost.”

Upon hearing Lin Yi's words, the two people leading the way were stunned for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

"So all that we did wasn't even recorded? Well, that makes sense. The allied forces were wiped out back then, and then they were trapped in this godforsaken place. It's normal that the news couldn't get out."

"The truth of that battle was actually an invasion, a war launched by the highest levels of the human kingdoms and the dwarven empire to completely eliminate the elves as a 'destabilizing factor'. Humans and dwarves, wearing the finest plate armor and wielding steel weapons forged by the dwarves, surged into the forest."

"Those green-skinned orcs, they are the undisputed warrior race of this continent. Strong, fierce, natural-born warriors! One-on-one, even one-on-three, our human soldiers are like lambs to the slaughter before them. Dwarven warriors can barely hold their own thanks to their strength and heavy armor. If it weren't for their outdated equipment, their dwindling population due to years of war and resource scarcity, and their continued use of animal hide armor and crude iron weapons, this continent would have been ruled by the orcs long ago."

The guide paused, seemingly recalling the scenes of those years of bloody battles.

At that time, the four major races on the mainland could only be described as chaotic.

The four major races have all split into large and small factions, and they are constantly fighting each other.

That period can be described as the most chaotic and darkest time on the continent, with a total of seventeen forces entrenched in this land, fighting each other, forming alliances, and betraying one another.

The main reason why the orcs eventually went extinct was not because the human-dwarf alliance was invincible, but because the orc forces split into six mutually hostile factions at the most critical moment.

It was precisely because of the division that the temporarily united allied forces were able to take advantage of the situation and defeat the enemy one by one.

"The high command of the allied forces believed that with their overwhelming superiority in equipment, they could easily wipe out the remaining elven forces deep in the forest, who were said to have colluded with the orc remnants. In the early stages of the battle, everything seemed to confirm their arrogance. We advanced like a whirlwind, and the elves' fragile vine armor and wooden bows were no match for the torrent of steel. Until we plunged headlong into the depths of the forest and entered the orcs' ambush."

"Those surviving orcs obtained a large amount of excellent equipment from the elves! With equal equipment, those orc soldiers were incredibly powerful, and every raid inflicted heavy casualties on the allied forces."

"If the remaining orc population hadn't been so small, the outcome of that war would have been hard to predict."

"With overwhelming numerical superiority, the allied forces used countless lives to fill the trap, exhausting the orcs' last resistance before we finally stepped into the territory of the Elven Royal Court."

"The Mad King looked at us, at the forest behind us that had been ravaged by war and littered with corpses."

"He said nothing, and then... hell descended."

“Our companions fell in droves, not killed, but corrupted and twisted by an incomprehensible force… like candles. Wherever He went, only desperate wails remained.”

“Some tried to escape, some knelt down and begged for mercy, but it was no use. Just when we thought everyone would be crushed like insects, He stopped. He looked at the burning royal city, at the corpses all over the ground, and seemed to fall into some kind of indescribable sorrow.”

"He began chanting a spell we had never heard before. The sky split open, and then a 'thing' descended."

"Most of the surviving soldiers went mad just from seeing its outline! It was a million times more terrifying than death! We thought it was an ally He had summoned, the ultimate means to destroy everything."

"However, we were wrong! Utterly wrong! The terrifying being that He summoned was killed by the Mad King."

Based on their descriptions, Lin Yi was quite certain that the Mad King had summoned an ancient god, but its rank was probably not high; it was most likely a low-rank ancient god.

The limitations of the world's rules prevent higher-level beings from descending in their true forms; this ancient god who was summoned cannot exceed the sixth rank.

Even a sixth-order ancient god's true form, with its own power and corrupting influence, is enough to instantly destroy this area.

The Mad King's power probably far exceeds his previous estimates.

The source of this world's "curse" may be far more terrifying than he imagined.

The Ancient Gods are known as the cancer of the world, yet they were caught in a sting operation. If the Ancient Gods were easy to deal with, they wouldn't have earned that title.

"Those below are just unlucky souls who were dragged into this cursed land."

"As for the living creatures in the forest? They have long been extinct due to the power here day and night. Apart from us cursed people, there is only eternal despair here."

"If you want to enter the ancient city of the elves, Edwin is the first obstacle you can't get past."

The two said no more and walked down a path along the edge of the cliff, almost buried by weathered rubble and huge bones.

This road was extremely difficult to travel; it was a route that no normal person could imagine. Leonard had to use both his hands and feet to barely keep up with Lin Yi and the guide.

As the group descended, the forest below became increasingly clear.

Finally, they set foot in the area close to the heart of the forest.

The fog thickened here, visibility dropped sharply, and the torchlight could only illuminate an area of ​​less than ten meters around the person.

The two guides were extremely familiar with the terrain, as if they were walking through their own backyard.

They avoided some dangerous areas and approached the heart of the forest. As they got closer, Leonard felt his heart being gripped by an invisible hand, each beat accompanied by an indescribable panic.

After traveling along the cliff for an unknown amount of time, the fog ahead seemed to be parted by some invisible force.

The outline of a broken archway appeared at the edge of Lin Yi's field of vision.

The archway is constructed from a strange stone with a pale sheen and is carved with exquisite reliefs.

The arch itself was already dilapidated, with huge cracks running through it, and the top had completely collapsed, leaving only a gap.

Behind the archway lies a relatively open plaza of ruins.

The square was paved with stone slabs, but most of them are now broken, with dark moss growing in the cracks.

At the end of the square stands the main body of the ruins of the ancient elven city—a palace complex built against the mountain.

Directly beneath the dilapidated archway, at the entrance to the square, stands a figure silently.

He was dressed in a nobleman's outfit whose original color and style were no longer discernible; the luxurious fabric was soaked in scarlet stains and had become tattered.

His figure remained tall and slender, but his skin had taken on a sickly grayish-white hue.

He stood with his back to Lin Yi and the others, facing the palace ruins deep in the square, motionless, like a puppet forgotten in the ruins.

As if to confirm the guide's words, the figure that had been facing away from them turned around in an inhumanly stiff posture.

An unfamiliar face came into view, the outline of its features still vaguely recognizable as the shadow in the portrait.

At this moment, however, his face was like a stone sculpture, devoid of any expression, as if he were wearing an exquisite mask.

[Comparing intelligence attributes of both sides... Comparison complete. Due to the special area, our side only obtained 74% of the enemy's data (Reconnaissance Eye increased by 20%).]

Name: Edwin Heinrich
Category: Crimson Invader

Health: 100%
Crimson Power: 16420/16420
Strength: 115 (true attribute)
Agility: 109 (true attribute)
Physical strength: 107 (real attribute)
Intelligence: 91
Charisma: 62
Skill 1: Crimson Body (Passive, LV.48): Max HP +3000, Physical Defense +40. After taking damage, automatically consumes 10 Crimson Power per second and continuously restores 0.5% of maximum HP.

Skill 2: Noble Swordsmanship - Blood Kite (Passive, LV.60): Increases sword attack power by 312%, nerve reflex speed by 60%, and greatly enhances combat-related abilities such as swordsmanship skills, parry efficiency, and dodge prediction. When attacking targets with more than 70% health, damage is increased by an additional 25%.

Skill 3: Crimson Erosion (Passive, LV.50): Attacks inflict the "Crimson Erosion" effect, reducing the target's maximum health by 1% per stack (up to 40 stacks). When the target's maximum health is reduced to ≤10% due to erosion, there is a 50% chance to trigger an instant-kill attack each time they are attacked by Edwin. If the instant-kill attack does not trigger, an additional stack of "Crimson Erosion" is applied, and the duration of all "Crimson" related negative effects on the target is extended by 10 seconds.

Skill 4: ? ? ? (Active, LV.49): ? ? ? Skill 5: Raid (Active, LV.45): Consumes 80 Crimson Power, teleports behind the target, the next attack will definitely deal double base damage, and forcibly apply 3 stacks of "Crimson Erosion" effect.

???

Skill 7: Blood Pact (Active, ???): Sacrifice 20% of your current health to convert it into an equal amount of Crimson Power.

Skill 8: Crimson Waltz (Active, ???): Consumes 200 Crimson Power to create a Crimson Domain with a radius of 15 meters, lasting for 5 minutes. Within the Domain, each of Edwin's normal attacks will add a small area-of-effect energy splash damage, which can also stack "Crimson Erosion" layers.

???

Skill 10: Crimson End - Noble Elegy (Ultimate Ability): Detonates all "Crimson Erosion" stacks on the target, triggering an instant-death judgment based on the number of erosion stacks and the attributes of both parties. If the judgment is successful, the target is killed, and Edwin is restored to 50% of his maximum health.

……

Sensing Lin Yi's reconnaissance skills, Edwin Heinrich, who had been standing frozen like a stone statue, raised his head slightly by an inch to look at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi's gaze met Edwin's empty stare in mid-air, and there was no emotional fluctuation on Edwin's pale and stiff face.

Lin Yi did not respond, but simply took a step forward, and his figure disappeared from the edge of the cliff, landing steadily in the center of the square the next instant.

Edwin Heinrich's head rotated in perfect sync with Lin Yi's landing, his gray eyes fixed firmly on Lin Yi's figure.

He opened his mouth, his chapped lips moved, and a series of unintelligible "hoho" sounds came from his throat, as if he were trying to say something.

In the end, all the struggles subsided into silence, turning into only a heavy sigh.

Edwin's right hand rested on the hilt of his sword at his waist. Without making a single unnecessary movement, the moment the longsword was fully drawn, Edwin's figure vanished from the spot.

Less than half a meter behind Lin Yi, Edwin's figure appeared out of thin air, without making a sound, as if it had condensed from the mist.

The longsword in his hand pierced straight into Lin Yi's back, leaving a straight, thin line in the air.

"Ugh!" Lin Yi groaned, his body leaning back slightly due to the impact.

Although Lin Yi avoided vital points, the longsword still pierced his left shoulder.

The crimson power surged into the wound along the sword blade, colliding with the abyssal power within Lin Yi's body.

[Warning! You are under attack by 'Crimson Eroder - Edwin Heinrich'!]

You have been affected by 'Crimson Corrosion', reducing your maximum health by 3%.

Om-!
A jet-black light emanated from Lin Yi's body, transforming into a ring-shaped shockwave that exploded outwards.

Edwin Heinrich's wrist, gripping the sword, trembled slightly. An irresistible, immense force surged through him, and he was struck head-on by an invisible battering ram. His feet left the ground, and he flew straight backward like a kite with a broken string.

Just as Edwin was pushed away from Lin Yi by the Holy Nova and found himself in mid-air with nowhere to grab on— *Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The ground beneath their feet, covered with shattered stone slabs and black moss, burst open, and three sharp spikes, like venomous dragons, burst forth from the earth, stabbing fiercely towards the spot where Edwin Heinrich had been sent flying backward.

As Edwin lay in mid-air facing the onslaught of attacks from below, his pale, stiff face remained expressionless, except for a slight downward turn of his empty eyes.

As his body flew backward, Edwin, with absolute control over his body, forcefully twisted his sword-wielding arm and unleashed a horizontal slash.

Tsk-!
A sound like tearing silk rang out as a scarlet sword aura severed the middle of the three spikes.

The broken black spikes transformed into dissipating energy, vanishing into the air.

The instant the spikes were severed by the opponent, Lin Yi raised his left hand, his five fingers spread wide, aiming at Edwin in mid-air.

A gigantic hand formed from dark lightning materialized from the ground beneath Edwin, and with a muffled rumble of thunder, it reached out to grab Edwin.

A massive thunder hand obscured the plaza, seemingly about to grasp Edwin's figure in its palm.

Facing the giant hand, Edwin made an unexpected move—instead of blocking or dodging, he swung his jeweled longsword upwards!
The swordplay was not grand and sweeping, but rather carried an elegance akin to a dance, characteristic of aristocratic swordsmanship.

Edwin's sword tip landed precisely in the center of Thunderhand's clenched palm!

Ding--!
The moment the sword tip made contact with the thunder palm, an extremely condensed crimson energy burst forth from the sword tip like a venomous snake, instantly invading the structure of the palm.

Like cold water dripping into boiling oil, the giant palm seemed to be injected with some kind of deadly "toxin," its internal structure instantly becoming chaotic, violent lightning flashing and expanding wildly, before exploding with a deafening roar.

Countless twisted arcs of electricity, like uncontrolled pythons, lashed and splattered wildly in all directions, creating chaos around them. The hard stone slabs on the ground were plowed with deep, charred marks, and fragments of stone flew everywhere like bullets.

Just as the lightning and crimson power clashed and obscured his vision, Lin Yi's right hand moved.

Instead of drawing his sword, he threw the black and white rose longsword he was holding tightly, as if throwing a javelin.

The longsword transformed into a black and white streak of light, moving at incredible speed, piercing straight into Edwin's chest, its target the slightly open opening created by his upward swing.

Edwin seemed to have anticipated this. With a flick of his wrist, the longsword, which had just completed its upward thrust, pressed down, striking the Black and White Rose's spine with a precise angle of deflection, attempting to knock it away.

Bang!

A crisp sound of impact rang out.

As expected, Edwin's attack altered the trajectory of the black and white rose, causing it to spin and fly diagonally upwards.

However, a subtle change appeared on Edwin's face for the first time—a very faint look of surprise.

Because at the very moment his sword struck the Black and White Rose, it saw an almost completely transparent thread wrapped around the end of the Black and White Rose's hilt.

Just as Edwin finished blocking and his center of gravity shifted slightly backward due to the dissipation of force, before he had finished adjusting, Lin Yi pulled his right hand fingers backward.

hum!
The Dark Soul Silk instantly taut and straightened, transmitting a tremendous pulling force back!

The black and white rose, which had been "flying" away, was as if it had been grabbed by the hilt of a sword by an invisible giant hand, and its upward momentum was abruptly stopped in mid-air. The sword emitted a hum, and the black and white rose, following the power transmitted by the dark soul thread, drew a sharp zigzag line in the air that was almost right angle.

It slashed diagonally down from Edwin's left shoulder blade! Straight to his right waist!
Pfft——!
The sound of a sharp instrument cutting through tough leather rang out, and Edwin's tattered noble attire was easily torn apart like paper.

The sword's edge cut deep into his grayish-white skin, slicing through the muscles beneath, which had a texture like dried rock.

The power of the abyss, like a maggot clinging to a bone, relentlessly erodes the wound.

Edwin staggered back several steps from the blow, glancing down at the massive wound on his body that stretched from his shoulder to his abdomen.

The muscle tissue at the edge of the wound writhed violently as if it were a living, independent being, trying to heal the terrible trauma. A layer of dark red energy membrane covered the surface of the wound.

However, the abyssal power deep within the wound continuously extinguishes life force and frantically destroys every inch of tissue attempting to heal.

The crimson power and the abyssal power clashed fiercely at Edwin's wound, producing a sizzling, corrosive sound and sending up wisps of bluish-black smoke.

Want to recover? The power of the abyss won't give Edwin that chance. (End of Chapter)