Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

After opening three epic treasure chests, Lin Yi turned his attention to the crimson treasure chest dropped by the Mad King.

You have opened the Crimson Chest.

There were no dazzling visual effects like when a normal treasure chest is opened; instead, a strong, nauseating smell of blood rushed out.

The inside of the treasure chest was empty except for a strangely shaped pendant lying there quietly.

You have obtained the 'Crimson Holy Pact'.

【Scarlet Holy Pact】

Origin:? ? ?
Category: Special

Durability: 50/50
Equipment Requirements: 80 points of actual stamina, willpower assessment (must withstand the inherent mental erosion of the equipment), no specific energy tendency requirements.

Equipment Effect: The wearer can choose to sacrifice a certain percentage (1%-99%) of their maximum health. After the sacrifice, based on the percentage sacrificed, the wearer will receive a temporary boost to all attributes (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intelligence, Charisma) for 30 minutes.

献祭比例与提升幅度：献祭1%最大生命值，全属性提升1%；献祭10%，提升5%；献祭25%，提升10%。

Equipment Effect 2: During the sacrifice, the wearer's natural health regeneration rate is reduced by 500%. The effectiveness of any healing effects (including skills, potions, food, etc.) is reduced by 50%.

Synopsis: With your blood, I forge my blade. Power is within my grasp, requiring only the payment of… an eternal thirst.

Price: Not for sale

For the vast majority of contractors, the Crimson Holy Pact is undoubtedly a double-edged sword; if not handled carefully, it can become a suicidal poison.

A 500% reduction in natural recovery means that the body's self-healing ability is almost completely destroyed. Adding a 50% reduction in treatment effectiveness is like adding insult to injury.

A single serious injury or sacrifice can lead to certain death because the body cannot be effectively restored.

Ordinary contractors would usually regard it as a last-ditch effort and would never dare to choose to sacrifice it lightly, otherwise there would be endless trouble.

But Lin Yi is different. Even if other healing effects are reduced by 50%, his own base healing amount, which is far beyond that of ordinary people, as well as the "true healing" effect attached to his core skill, are enough to suppress the terrifying side effects of [Crimson Holy Book] to an "acceptable" or even "can be tried to use frequently" level.

Unless the enemy's attack is like the Mad King's, possessing the terrifying explosive power to instantly bring him to the brink of death or even kill him outright, it cannot completely destroy him before he can react and heal.

Therefore, in the ongoing tug-of-war, Lin Yi was fully confident that he could use his own recovery ability to gradually "heal" back the life lost due to the sacrifice of the [Crimson Holy Pact].

"Let's test the waters first... Sacrifice 5%." Lin Yi locked his mind onto the pendant and activated [Crimson Sacrifice].

hum!
The pendant on his right hand suddenly lit up, and a predatory force instantly pierced deep into Lin Yi's body, forcibly tearing a piece from his life essence.

5% of my health points evaporated instantly, and a slight dizziness and weakness immediately followed.

Immediately afterwards, a sense of power filled my limbs and bones.

Almost at the same time the sense of power surged, Lin Yi saw an unusually glaring negative status icon appear on his status panel.

【猩红献祭（5%）】：生命值自然恢复速度降低500%。任何治疗效果降低50%。持续：00:29:58…(状态剩余时间)
Lin Yi immediately cast two Healing spells on himself, and life energy was rapidly injected into his body. He could clearly feel the emptiness caused by the loss of life value being quickly filled.

“Something’s not right…” Lin Yi carefully sensed his body’s condition.

My health points were indeed full, but the feeling of weakness that came from the forced plundering of my life force had not completely disappeared.

The muscles seemed slightly less active than when they were at their normal full capacity, and the flow of energy felt less smooth and efficient. There was also a lingering sense of fatigue in the mental core that was difficult to dispel.

The body seems to be saying: the blood has been replenished, but the 'vital energy' has not been fully restored.

The healing spell did offset some of the health loss, but the side effects of the [Crimson Holy Pact] went beyond just deducting health points.

The healing spell did indeed offset some of the health loss, but the side effects of the [Crimson Holy Pact] went beyond simply deducting health points.

A 500% reduction in natural recovery speed and a 50% weakening of treatment effectiveness affect the 'efficiency' and 'upper limit' of the body's overall recovery ability.

After the source of life is sacrificed, the body's circulation and smoothness are affected. Even if the blood volume is forcibly restored to full, it is impossible to immediately return to the peak state of being as unified and energetic as before the sacrifice.

Lin Yi tried moving his hands and feet, carefully assessing the intensity and recovery speed of this "weakness".

He estimated the effect of the Crimson Holy Pact's "Eternal Repayment of Blood Debts" and concluded that for a special being like him with real healing power, the actual weakening effect was around 30%.

In other words, he offset about 70% of the side effects, but the remaining 30% of the negative effects will take time to subside or need to be compensated for through other special means.

In order to find the safe boundaries of using this equipment, Lin Yi began careful testing.

He gradually increased the sacrifice ratio: 6%, 8%, 10%, 12%, 15%, 18%... After each sacrifice, he carefully recorded the sensations in his body, the intensity of the weakness, the time required for recovery, and the impact on his combat effectiveness. At the same time, he tried to use healing skills to wash away the feeling of loss of his essence.

As the proportion of sacrifices increases, the feeling of weakness originating from the very source of life intensifies exponentially.

When the percentage reached 20%, Lin Yi felt a sudden increase in the weakness within his body, as if a vital foundation had been removed from his body.

At the same time, movements became sluggish, and there was a slight sluggishness in the flow of energy.

Most importantly, to return to the state of fullness and health before the sacrifice, even with the aid of healing spells, it takes nearly an hour of quiet rest to barely calm down.

Exceeding this ratio will come at a cost far exceeding the immediate benefits of attribute increases, making it extremely dangerous in combat.

20% is the optimal solution for him to use [Crimson Holy Book] in his current state, and it is also the safe limit.

After sorting out his gains, Lin Yi calmed himself down and decided to begin awakening his talent.

The Hunter has activated the second awakening of their talent.

[You are about to consume 'Crimson Crystal (Fragment)'. Do/Do not use it.]

The scarlet crystal in his palm suddenly burst forth with intense blood light, instantly engulfing Lin Yi's entire vision and depriving him of all his senses.

He felt himself being violently grabbed by an immense and irresistible force, pulled sharply downwards, and plummeting rapidly into the bottomless abyss.

Cold! Boundless cold!

It was as if he had fallen into a frozen deep sea, enveloped in absolute darkness and deathly silence.

Heavy pressure pressed in from all directions, and the icy seawater, carrying a biting chill, seeped into every pore.

Unable to breathe, unable to struggle, consciousness blurred in the extreme cold and deathly silence.

Just before his consciousness was about to completely sink and dissipate, a faint glimmer of light pierced through the inky darkness, flickering uncertainly at the edge of his vision.

The figure wasn't far away, but it was as if he were looking through countless layers of frosted thick glass, its outline distorted and blurry.

Only the outline of the broken crown that once belonged to the Mad King could be barely discerned, as well as the tattered robe that still vaguely revealed its once magnificent patterns.

It floated silently in the depths of solidified darkness, like a broken ghost forgotten by time.

The blurry figure seemed to sense the fluctuations in Lin Yi's consciousness.

It turned its head, and Lin Yi couldn't even see its face clearly. He could only feel a gaze carrying an indescribable sense of "ending" piercing through the thick darkness and landing on him.

There was no malice whatsoever, only a deathly stillness, as if the dust had settled.

Every ray of light that made up that light and shadow began to melt rapidly, like ice and snow melting into the boundless darkness.

In just a few breaths, the last remaining trace of the Mad King's original consciousness vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

Deathly silence once again reigned over this dark deep sea.

At the very instant the Mad King's consciousness completely dissipated, a faint pulling force descended and precisely wrapped around Lin Yi's consciousness.

This force carried a sense of "farewell." Lin Yi felt as if his consciousness was being gently lifted by an invisible hand, instantly breaking through the viscous and sluggish resistance of the deep sea, and flying forward at an astonishing speed.

The solidified darkness all around peeled away like pieces of broken ice.

Ahead, at the edge of the field of vision, a door appeared.

A door so enormous it defies description stands alone on the edge of nothingness.

That door seemed to have existed there since time immemorial, waiting to be pushed open, or perhaps... waiting to devour anything that dared to approach.

Lin Yi's consciousness was violently "pushed" towards the dark door by that pulling force.

When his consciousness touched that seemingly heavy door, he felt as if he had been embraced by absolute nothingness.

The Dark Gate appeared like a phantom before him, and his consciousness passed through it without any hindrance.

One step, and you're inside the door.

The deathly silence vanished.

Instead, there is a viscous, suffocating sense of presence.

The air was no longer air, but a thick, crimson fog that seemed impossible to dispel.

This is a completely enclosed space. As far as the eye can see, the dome hangs hundreds of meters high, and the ground extends in all directions, covering an area of ​​tens of thousands of square meters. *Whoosh!*
An indescribable, immense will, like a star that has been dormant for billions of years suddenly awakening, instantly filled the entire space.

The laws of space are as fragile as paper before this will, groaning under its unbearable weight.

Lin Yi's consciousness was as insignificant as a leaf in a raging storm before this vast and boundless will, and was instantly locked onto by this will.

That will was ancient and violent, filled with hatred and a desire to destroy all existence. The mere pressure carried by the "gaze" itself was enough to cause the soul of a so-called ninth-tier powerhouse to collapse instantly.

Lin Yi could not "see" its specific form, but could only sense the outline of an existence so vast that it exceeded the limits of his cognition, like a world-destroying behemoth lurking in the abyss of the universe. Just sensing its existence made his soul tremble.

"An ant... how could it have reached this level?" The will held a hint of doubt.

The sheer cliffs of the Eternal Light World are not places that ordinary people can reach.

Even in His prime, forcibly entering this place would have come at a great cost.

The next moment, the "gaze" of that immense will seemed to pierce through Lin Yi's consciousness and land on a certain imprint deep within his consciousness.

“The Mark of Reincarnation.” The Crimson Monarch’s thoughts flickered, and a trace of understanding seemed to flash through his pure will to destroy, which then turned into an almost mocking indifference. “Heh, the lackeys of Paradise.”

When His will swept over Lin Yi's consciousness again, an extremely familiar scent, like a sealed memory being pried open, caused the core of that scarlet will to pause for a rare moment.

"Abyss Physician?" The Crimson Monarch's thoughts were now tinged with surprise, as if he had discovered a dusty star in a garbage dump.

"You smell like that old man!" The violent energy in that thought strangely subsided, revealing a focused gaze that was almost "scrutinizing".

Lin Yi's consciousness struggled to coalesce under the terrifying pressure: "I am the successor of this generation..."

Lin Yi felt that every thought he transmitted was like dancing on the edge of a knife, consuming his already limited mental strength.

silence.

An eerie silence fell over the entire crimson space.

The boiling pool of blood calmed down, and the swirling mist seemed to solidify.

"Junior." After a long silence, the Crimson Monarch's grand, cold voice rang out again, his pure will to destroy seemingly temporarily suppressed by some more complex emotion. "How is the outside world now?"

Lin Yi felt that the terrifying hostility that had been locking onto him had indeed dissipated considerably. He dared not be negligent and conveyed as concisely and clearly as possible the information he knew about the current void situation, including the decline of the Anti-Demonic Faction, the disappearance of the Alchemy Civilization, the current status of the major forces, and so on.

"Has the edge of the Destroyer of Laws dimmed to this extent?" The Crimson Monarch's thoughts carried a sigh that even surprised Himself, an emotional fluctuation caused by the demise of an adversary faction that was once a match for Him.

And those mad alchemists, they too chose to burn themselves out?
But this ripple was fleeting, like a snowflake thrown into a furnace, instantly evaporated by the eternally burning will of violence and destruction.

For an existence like Him, rise and fall are nothing more than insignificant ripples in the long river of time.

He, the Crimson Lord, believes only in his own power; external changes are nothing but fleeting clouds.

"The Second Era, in the Abyss of Stars. I was on the verge of death, my origin shattered, my soul about to perish. At that time, an old man gave me a glimmer of hope." A rare hint of respect, or perhaps an acknowledgment of some absolute principle, flickered in the Crimson Monarch's thoughts.
"Abyss Physician, I owe you a life. You are his successor, very good!"

"This place is a prison from which I cannot escape." The Crimson Monarch's thoughts carried an almost mocking composure, which then turned into an incomparably fervent and domineering one. "But now that an old friend has come, how can I leave empty-handed?"

"I will bestow upon you a great fortune."

boom--! ! !
The entire crimson space let out a mournful cry of unbearable strain! Lin Yi saw the triple seals of the Sky simultaneously erupt with unprecedentedly dazzling light.

The wisp of the Crimson Monarch's essence, forcibly stripped away, was as tiny as a flickering candle in the wind, so faint as to be almost imperceptible.

But its very existence causes the surrounding space to collapse.

It ignored the barriers of space, as if crossing the boundaries of dimensions, and instantly entered Lin Yi's consciousness.

"Uhhh-!!!"

Indescribable pain instantly overwhelmed Lin Yi, his consciousness feeling as if it had been thrown into the sun.

The Crimson Origin was too domineering; it ruthlessly assaulted the core imprint representing the [Redeemer] talent deep within Lin Yi's consciousness.

Like a red-hot branding iron, it was pressed hard onto the ice crystals.

"Concentrate! Accept!"

With this command from the mind, the raging crimson source ceased its struggle.

"Ugh..." Lin Yi's consciousness emitted a muffled groan amidst extreme pain; he felt as if he had been completely torn apart.

He could see the structure of his talent being forcibly broken down and reassembled.

hum!
The old shackles were completely shattered.

Lin Yi's [Redeemer] talent underwent a qualitative transformation and sublimation under the catalysis of the Crimson Monarch's stripped source.

[The Hunter's talent has completed its second awakening.]

The Redeemer

[Category: Growth Talent (Second Awakening)]

[Level: SSS]

天赋效果（被动）：每治疗一位目标，便可以从目标的身体中永久汲取1～45点（上限提升15点）生命值与1-30点（上限提升15点）深渊之力。治疗成功后可永久提高1点灵魂强度。

Tips: Each derivative world can take up to 300 health points, 150 Abyssal Power, and 5 Soul Strength. If the absorption value has reached the upper limit, the Redeemer will be fully activated, and healing one person can restore 30 health points and 15 mana points of the Hunter. The recovery value is determined by the number of treatments.

Note: The shackles on the contractor's maximum health have been removed, and the base maximum health has been increased from 100% to 150%.

"Hahahahaha——!!!"

The sealed Crimson Monarch let out a hearty laugh.

His thoughts carried a strange mix of weariness and satisfaction: "Take it and go, little doctor!"

"Tell those 'old friends' who are still alive outside that the Crimson will return!"

boom! ! !
Before Lin Yi could react, a repulsive force suddenly acted on his consciousness.

Everything before my eyes shattered like a broken mirror.

The intense feeling of weightlessness struck again!

This time, it's a rapid rise!

Lin Yi felt his consciousness was like a stone launched by a powerful slingshot, instantly breaking through layers of solidified dark seawater and rushing towards the light that represented reality "above"!

……

Lin Yi suddenly opened his eyes, and what came into view was the familiar ceiling.

The nasal cavity seemed to still have a strong smell of blood, but the body had indeed truly returned to the cycle of reincarnation.

[The Hunter's talent has completed its second awakening.]

The moment the notification tone ended, a warm current originating from the core surged out from the depths of the soul and instantly swept through the entire body!
hum!
"Ugh—!"

The pain was far more intense than when he experienced the fusion of origins in the sea of ​​consciousness, and it overwhelmed Lin Yi like a tsunami.

This is a forced modification and upgrade of the container that holds the talent after it has completed its transformation.

The pain, far more intense than when he experienced the fusion of origins in the sea of ​​consciousness, overwhelmed Lin Yi.

Sweat instantly soaked through his clothes, and then rose from his body as a faint, blood-tinged mist.

Lin Yi gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, forcefully fighting against the excruciating pain that was sweeping through his entire body.

I don't know how much time passed, it felt like an eternity, before the tearing pain receded like the tide.

huh... huh... huh...

Lin Yi collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving like a bellows.

He was soaked to the bone and didn't even have the strength to move a finger.

An unprecedented feeling is welling up from every corner of my body.

[Note: Maximum health permanently increased by 500 points, abnormal status resistance permanently increased by 10.]

[Permanently grant +10 to abnormal resistance.]

After resting for a long time, until his body had fully adapted to the new state, Lin Yi slowly sat up. (End of Chapter)