Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

The passageway stretched forward and backward, disappearing into the deep darkness in the distance, with only a few scattered, eerie lights barely outlining its contours.

"This place... is a bit eerie, it doesn't seem like a temporary structure," Gulu whispered. Her senses spread out, and what returned was a feeling of sedimentation over countless years.

The two remained vigilant, cautiously exploring deeper into the passageway.

The passage was not straight; it sometimes turned and sometimes branched off, but Lin Yi seemed to always be able to choose the right path, relying on some kind of intuition.

Soon, they discovered traces of human activity.

Not in modern times, but in the distant past.

Large, blurry murals began to appear on the walls, painted with a mixture of blood and mineral pigments.

The murals are difficult to understand, depicting a large number of distorted human figures dancing wildly around a roaring bonfire. Their movements are exaggerated to the point of violating physiological structure and are full of madness.

The object of their sacrifice was a huge shadow that occupied the corner above the mural, and the shadow had no specific shape.

The sacrificial offerings, ranging from livestock to clearly humanoid creatures, all displayed an expression of extreme fear.

The murals are characterized by their rough and wild style, with frenzied brushstrokes, and are filled with the most primal reverence.

Scattered pottery fragments began to appear on the ground, their style surprisingly archaic, the clay rough, and the firing process primitive.

On some of the larger fragments are engraved strange symbols similar to those in the murals, resembling some kind of unsystematic primitive writing or totem.

Even in an inconspicuous, damp corner, Gulu's toe kicked a hard object half-buried in the slippery mud.

She carefully brushed away the soil and discovered that it was a small stone sculpture, no bigger than the palm of her hand.

The stone carving is made of a local black stone and depicts a strangely shaped animal: its body resembles a pig, is fat and sturdy, but has a long, curled trunk, large ears like palm fans, and eyes that are half-closed, presenting a posture of crouching and sleeping peacefully.

"This place... used to be an altar?" Gulu poked at a pottery shard with his toe, his brow furrowed beneath his mask. "What were they worshipping? Or this sleeping pig?"

Lin Yi's gaze swept over the murals and finally landed on the small stone carving. His eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't speak. He simply gestured to continue forward.

The passage gradually widened, and finally, they stepped into a huge underground cave.

The cave's dome soared high, its top invisible, revealing only a void of darkness.

In the center of the cave stands a circular altar made of huge black stones. The altar is covered with densely packed runes that are more complex and mysterious than those on the murals. Many of the runes contain dried and blackened substances that look like blood.

Scattered around the altar were more human skeletons, some piled up haphazardly, others in kneeling or struggling postures, so ancient that they would crumble at the slightest touch.

Right in front of that enormous altar, deep within the cave, lay a massive figure nestled on the ground.

It was an extremely large creature.

Even now, with its body curled up and lying on the ground, its height is easily estimated to be over five meters, and its length is immeasurable, resembling a living city wall covered with armor plates.

Its body is covered with layers of dense plates of varying sizes, resembling a pangolin magnified a thousand times. However, its head is quite peculiar—it has a nose covered with fine wrinkles that almost reaches the ground, and ears as large as fans with slightly curled edges.

Its limbs are short and thick like palace pillars, with sharp claws hidden deep inside, yet it always exudes a chilling sense of power.

It lay there quietly, blending into the cave, its breathing long and slow, each breath causing the air inside the cave to ripple slightly, carrying a strange rhythm that made one drowsy.

The moment they saw the behemoth, Lin Yi and Gulu tensed their muscles to the limit.

Lin Yi's pupils suddenly contracted. In his perception, the energy contained within the creature in front of him was as vast as the sea of ​​stars, far exceeding any opponent he had ever encountered before. It was an absolute gap in the essence of life, a feeling of insignificance that mortals felt when facing mountains.

His intuition told him that the creature in front of him had definitely reached an extremely powerful level.

Gulu's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

Her assassin instincts sounded the most piercing alarm ever, every cell screaming "Danger!"

A chill from the depths of her soul told her that if she showed even the slightest hostility or made any sudden move, the next second—no, perhaps it wouldn't even take time—she would be wiped out from the world like an ant trampled by an elephant, leaving not a trace!

She even held her breath instinctively, afraid of disturbing the sleeping behemoth.

Just as the two were so overwhelmed by the overwhelming pressure of the creature that they were almost unable to move, the crouching giant beast seemed to sense their arrival.

Its long, soft nose twitched slightly, its huge, fan-like ears trembled slightly, and then, slowly, with a languid air as if it had been asleep for millions of years, it raised its head.

A pair of eyes, filled with countless dreams and stories, opened and their gaze fell on Lin Yi and Gulu.

There was no hostility in his gaze, but rather a hint of confusion from someone just awakening, which then turned into doubt.

It didn't speak, but the next moment, the air around Lin Yi and Gulu began to vibrate slightly and frequently. A deep thought resounded directly in the depths of their minds, transforming into clear language: "Why... so slow? I have already sent a messenger to inform you that you should come sooner."

This thought communicates directly with the soul, bypassing the auditory organs of both individuals.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi thought, "Send an envoy? Come sooner?" The image of the guard dog he encountered in the Hell Organization, which would revive no matter how he was killed, yet remained unusually respectful to him in the end, flashed through his mind.

Could it be... that thing is its messenger? Are all those inexplicable phenomena arrangements by this being?

Lin Yi took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady, and tentatively asked, "Respected being, is the messenger you speak of the one wearing the gray cloak?"

The giant beast's gaze lingered on Lin Yi.

Indeed. It seems you have already seen it.

Having confirmed his guess, Lin Yi was even more surprised and uncertain.

He thought for a moment, then asked, "So, just now outside, we encountered a black mist that possessed consciousness and could create illusions. Was that also one of your creations?"

Upon hearing this question, the Dream Eater's eyes showed a thoughtful expression, and its long nose twitched slightly, as if searching for relevant information in a vast sea of ​​fragmented memories.

A few seconds later, it showed a hint of realization, as if it had remembered something trivial.

[It is an unintentional creation.] Its thoughts came with an almost indifferent peace, as if it were evaluating a trivial trinket that had nothing to do with itself.

[I have slumbered here for a long time, and the lingering aura of nightmares became too dense. Over the years, this accumulated energy spontaneously coalesced, and by chance, a wisp of nascent consciousness emerged. This being lived by my aura, yet its nature was restless and agitated, constantly disturbing my slumber. I was quite annoyed, so I casually scattered its core of consciousness and abandoned it in the outer area, letting it fend for itself. Unexpectedly… as the long years passed, it still retained some activity, and you have come to encounter it.]

Hearing this nonchalant explanation, which even carried a hint of disdain and helplessness, Lin Yi's lips twitched involuntarily, and an indescribable sense of absurdity welled up inside him.

So, the energy entity that nearly caused him and Gulu to capsize in the gutter was just the "waste gas" that this big shot unconsciously exhaled while sleeping, which became sentient due to its high concentration? And then, because it was too noisy and disruptive, it was slapped like a fly and its intelligence was dulled, and it was thrown away as trash?
This reason... is so powerful and outrageous, yet it carries an irrefutable sense of "reasonableness".

Faced with absolute power, all strangeness and difficulty seem to become a joke.

Just then, the dream-eating tapir slowly stood up. As soon as it stood up, the entire cave seemed to instantly become a bit more crowded.

Its massive body stretched out, like a small mountain rising from the ground.

It gently shook its body, as if trying to dispel the stiffness brought on by its deep sleep.

The simple movement created a gust of wind that made Lin Yi and Gulu's clothes flutter, forcing them to retreat to dissipate the force.

[Long have I slumbered... even time and space have become blurred in my dreams... if I had not sensed your unique presence descending upon this echoing land, I might have remained in slumber for a long time, weaving myriad images in my dreams and absorbing the nightmares of all living beings.]

Its words confirmed Lin Yi's guess; it was indeed coming for him. But Lin Yi was more concerned about another issue.

"What exactly is this 'Echoing Land' you mentioned, and the anomalies in the outside world? What kind of place is this?" Lin Yi asked quickly.

[Echoes...the sum of lingering sounds, remnants of dreams, obsessions, and final fluctuations that remain in the sea of ​​void after the world's destruction and annihilation.]

The world you see here now, the many bizarre and fantastical illusions you just experienced, are not composed of real matter. They are the intense emotions, unfulfilled obsessions, shattered rules and information that erupted in the final moments of countless worlds, countless civilizations, and countless beings as they approached their end… All these remnants and fragments intertwine, collide, reappear, and ultimately vanish here. Like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, though the stone has sunk to the bottom, the ripples it created will continue to spread, interfere with each other, and form new eddies… hence the term 'echo'.

The echoes of the world's destruction? Lin Yi was startled.

Does this mean that what they are standing on is not the real earth, but the "tombstones" of countless worlds after their deaths?

However, the original state of this place should be relatively calm, and the manifestation of echoes should not be so active, to the point of interfering with the real dimension or actively capturing living beings. Under normal circumstances, they should be like candles flickering in the wind, quietly disappearing into the void after their energy is exhausted, returning to their origin.

Its enormous head turned slightly, glancing at its own massive body, then at the relatively "small" cave and the fragile echoing space around it, a clear sense of constraint emanating from its mind.

Although I can vaguely sense the approximate location of the source of the unusual disturbance, ... my physical power level is far too heavy and far too vast for this place.

This particular area of ​​dream echoes is, to me, as fragile as a soap bubble blown by a child. If I were to move it myself, the slightest carelessness, the slightest leakage of power, would completely burst this 'bubble.' At that moment, the countless echoes of worlds attached to it, the lingering cries and obsessions, and even the fragile fragments of consciousness that may exist, would all vanish into nothingness. And the source of the anomaly might seize the opportunity to escape into a deeper realm, causing even greater chaos. This… is not a scene I wish to see.

Lin Yi finally understood. Just as a heavyweight boxing champion cannot carefully assemble an exquisite crystal glass, the Dream Eater was of too high a level. This fragile "Echoing Land" simply could not withstand even the slightest movement from it.

Its very existence is like a lead ball placed on a glass table; maintaining stillness is its limit.

Therefore, I dispatched my creations to investigate.

However, perhaps the instructions were misinterpreted, or perhaps they misunderstood... My creations have begun indiscriminately annihilating and purifying all beings and phenomena related to 'Echoes,' attempting to eradicate the anomaly through absolute annihilation. This... is certainly not my intention. Their actions are far too brutal and direct.

It seems that the incident that happened to the Hell organization was caused entirely by a blunder in the order.

Those gray-cloaked monsters were carrying out their mission using what they understood as "purification."

At this moment, the dream-eating tapir took a step.

Its massive, mountain-like body moved without making a sound, its movements incredibly light, as if most of its weight existed in another dimension, leaving only a projection here.

It walked up to Lin Yi, lowered its head, and gently nudged Lin Yi's forehead with its long, soft tip.

The instant his nose touched his forehead, Lin Yi felt a cool force surge into his consciousness and quickly flow throughout his body.

This force is not aggressive; it is more like a gentle mark.

At the same time, a notification from the Paradise of Reincarnation echoed in his mind.

[Hint: The hunter gains "The Baku's Protection".]

[The Baku's Protection: A blessing from the supreme-level dream creature, the Baku. Effect: All attacks from dream-related, mental illusion-related, and derivative attacks based on the power of "Echo" are reduced by 90% of their final damage to the hunter. The hunter's priority in perceiving, distinguishing, and dispelling dreams and illusions is greatly increased (the increase is based on the Baku's rank and the hunter's own perception attribute).]

Lin Yi was shocked; this buff... was ridiculously strong.

This is almost equivalent to having a targeted, absolute defense in the face of potential crises in the future.

He immediately shared the information about this buff status in the temporary team channel.

When Gulu saw the message pop up in the channel, he froze instantly. His eyes, hidden behind his mask, widened as he repeatedly checked the words "90% damage reduction" and "top-tier".

She looked up at Lin Yi, then at the enormous Dream Eater, her expression a complex mix of shock, envy, and finally, a numb silence.

Comparing people with others will lead to death, and comparing goods with goods will lead to throwing away.

What kind of monster is this guy? Is his luck ridiculously good? Or does he have some kind of special ability that we don't know about? Even something that could probably crush them with a single finger is giving him this kind of buff?

The dream-eating tapir completed its blessing, retracted its nose, and the gentle thought resonated once more.

[I cannot go in person, but you may go in my stead. With my protection, the dangers of this echoing land, mostly stemming from dreams and the mind, are no longer a threat to you. Your task is to find the source of the unusual disturbance, or at least to clearly discern its nature and core. At that time, you will not need to confront it directly; simply locate it, and I will be able to remotely… devour and resolve it.]

Its meaning was very clear: Lin Yi was now its eyes, responsible for finding the problem, and then it would directly carry out "precise elimination" beyond visual range.

This is an efficient solution with minimal impact on the current environment.

Lin Yi took a deep breath and nodded.

Things had progressed to this point, and it was clear that he had no choice but to comply.

This is not only about the Baku's request, but also directly about whether he can successfully complete the mission of the Paradise of Reincarnation.

"I understand," Lin Yi said in a deep voice. "We will do our best to find the source of the anomaly."

A satisfied look appeared in the huge eyes of the Dream Eater. It slowly lay down again, seemingly preparing to enter a semi-sleep state to maintain the stability of the place. Its long breathing became regular again, and the energy fluctuations in the cave also calmed down.

Go forth... you who bear my blessing... beware... those who are unaware of their own or the world's nightmares... they... are also the most painful... and most dangerous part of the echo...

With its consciousness completely dissipated, the Baku seemed to transform back into that ancient, armored mountain, with only its long breaths proving its life.

The immense pressure suddenly disappeared, and both Lin Yi and Gulu felt a sense of lightness in their bodies.

The two exchanged a glance, said nothing, and turned around simultaneously with perfect understanding, walking out along the way they had come from at an even faster pace than before.

Only after they had completely left the passage filled with traces of ancient rituals and returned to the relatively normal passage did the two of them breathe a long sigh of relief, feeling as if they had floated back to the surface from the deep sea.

Gulu patted his chest dramatically, letting out a long sigh: "My god... I was so scared. Just standing there, I felt my soul trembling."

Lin Yi did not answer, but silently displayed the "Dream Eater's Protection" status information to her again.

"Alright, alright, I know, I know!" Gulu rolled her eyes in annoyance, but the envy, jealousy, and hatred in her voice were almost overflowing.

Lin Yi then spoke calmly, but his tone became serious again: "Don't just be envious. Carefully consider its last words." (End of Chapter)