Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

Lin Yi listened quietly, his face expressionless.

"So, it's not that you don't want to help, but that your power system has been fundamentally manipulated by the ancient gods. The power you gain through potions is utterly powerless against the source of that power," Lin Yi pointed out the crux of the matter.

Gus, Dawn, and Laurent, who had quieted down over there, all nodded silently, their faces showing undisguised defeat and agreement.

They are like programs with backdoors pre-installed, and when facing an administrator, they are instantly stripped of their right to run.

"I understand." Lin Yi stood up, not insisting. "In that case, leave the rest to us."

He looked at Su Xiao, and Su Xiao was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and without a word, they understood each other's meaning.

After learning about everything that had happened, Gus went to Laurent's side to help him.

Under Laurent's control, the furnace fire rose into a blazing white flame, and soon, drops of pure holy silver condensed and took shape in the container.

As they watched the container fill with an ever-growing, almost overflowing, silvery liquid, Gus and Laurent exchanged a speechless glance, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

Once upon a time, they had to pay the terrible price of burning their divine bodies to obtain a single drop of holy silver. They never dared to imagine that they would have such a scene today, with holy silver so abundant that there was nowhere to put it.

Gus and Laurent collected the partially refined liquid holy silver into a specially made high-temperature resistant crucible.

The purity of this holy silver was already quite high, but in the eyes of Laurent, this old-school wizard, it was far from reaching the ideal state of "purity".

“The traditional ‘heart fire extraction method’ might work,” Laurent said thoughtfully, stroking his beard as he traced a simple energy circuit diagram in the air with his fingertips.

"Using our own spiritual power as a guide, we direct the furnace fire to deeply forge and peel away the last trace of the inertia mark belonging to the ancient gods. However... this process consumes a great deal of spiritual power, and if we are not careful, it may cause the energy inside the holy silver to collapse, resulting in the failure of all our efforts."

Gus looked at the almost overflowing holy silver and gave a wry smile: "If it were before, I would have been reluctant to use even a single drop, so I could have spared no expense in meticulous craftsmanship. But now there's so much... Old friend, your method is reliable, but I'm afraid it's not efficient enough."

Just then, Su Xiao stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the silvery liquid in the crucible, and calmly said, "The root cause of energy collapse lies in uneven internal stress. Forcing it to burn with external force is like hammering a piece of metal with internal cracks; it is easy to shatter completely."

His words immediately attracted the attention of the two wizards.

Laurent frowned slightly. He had been immersed in this field for hundreds of years, and this was the first time he had heard someone point out a potential flaw so directly.

"Then what's your opinion?"

"It's not about erasing the mark, it's about transforming it," Su Xiao said succinctly.

He picked up a crystal rod from the lab table next to him, dipped it in a little holy silver liquid, and drew a mark on the cold stone slab.

“The power imprint of the ancient gods can be regarded as a solidified negative energy node. Directly stripping it off is like defusing a bomb that has already been detonated. However, if a reverse energy circuit can be constructed to guide its own energy to ‘hedge and annihilate,’ not only can the imprint be eliminated, but the energy released in the process can also further stimulate the material activity of the holy silver and enhance its purity.”

This idea caught the eye of both Gus and Laurent.

They are accustomed to viewing the mark of the ancient gods as filth, trying every means to "purify" or "strip" it away, but never thought of it as a usable "energy source".

Laurent couldn't help but press further: "What about the specific circuit structure? How is the energy guidance threshold determined? How is stability guaranteed during the hedging process? This requires an extremely precise understanding of the energy characteristics of the holy silver; even the slightest deviation could result in a violent explosion!"

Su Xiao did not answer directly, but instead took a few sheets of animal skin paper for calculation, picked up a pen, and began to draw smoothly.

Alchemical matrices and energy nodes leap off the page, involving not only traditional sorcery runes but also incorporating many energy conduction and balance structures that Guth and Laurent had never seen before.

“Here, we need a buffer layer, using ‘Tranquil Crystal’ powder as a medium.” Su Xiao pointed to a key node on the drawing. “It’s not completely isolated, but like a sponge, it absorbs the peak fluctuations generated during hedging, and then slowly releases them back to the Holy Silver itself to reconstruct its material sequence, making its arrangement more compact and stable.”

As he spoke, he continued to add details, including the order in which several auxiliary agents were added, the precise timing of temperature control, and even taking into account the slight influence of environmental elements such as tides.

The rigor of his thinking was so great that it seemed he had already simulated it countless times in his mind.

Gus and Laurent initially looked inquisitive, but as Su Xiao's explanation deepened, their expressions gradually changed from surprise to seriousness, and finally to admiration.

They found themselves not exchanging ideas with a peer who came up with a brilliant concept, but listening to a true master teach them.

What Su Xiao has demonstrated is not just a concept, but a complete, feasible, and even ingenious practical system.

Thus, the leadership of the extraction work was transferred silently.

Laurent and Gus set aside their seniority and humbly began to ask Su Xiao for specific details.

"Regarding the initial energy injection point for this reverse circuit, was this location chosen to avoid the energy inertia zone of the Holy Silver itself?"

"Master, is the 'material sequence recombination' you mentioned based on the ancient giants' 'Star Forging Method'? It just seems to be more... efficient and direct."

Su Xiao usually gave concise answers to their questions, and occasionally she would personally adjust the instruments or demonstrate a certain energy guiding technique.

Shuguang, standing to the side, smiled helplessly as he watched the work area quickly transform into a "teaching site".

Her expertise in golem creation and soul shaping is completely useless here.

She was indeed not very knowledgeable about this kind of deep alchemy that delves into the transformation of the essence of elements and the reorganization of material sequences. At this moment, she could only be a quiet observer, watching her two old friends, who were both masters in their respective fields, surround Su Xiao and ask for his guidance like apprentices.

Three hours later, a peculiar mixture of smells filled the stone chamber, including the fresh scent of herbs, the somber aroma of minerals, and the smell of ozone from the release of some kind of energy.

An alchemical apparatus, constructed from crystal conduits and runic metal, was erected in the center, containing a mixture of pre-processed holy silver undiluted liquid and various catalysts.

At Su Xiao's instruction, Lin Yi, Bubuwang, and the others, along with Gus and the other two, put on specially made filter masks to block out any potentially harmful energy.

In the final step, under everyone's watchful eyes, Su Xiao used an extremely thin dropper to draw a few drops of highly concentrated Holy Silver Essence.

He carefully dripped the few drops of liquid into a crystal bottle that was already prepared and filled with a transparent base solution.

The silvery-white droplets fell in and did not immediately merge, but instead hovered in the solution for a moment like living things.

Immediately, as if triggering some kind of chain reaction, the entire bottle of solution suddenly burst forth with a brilliant and warm golden light.

The light was not dazzling, but it carried an indescribable sense of holiness, as if a miniature sun had been imprisoned in this small container.

[Hint: You have obtained an 'Unknown Potion'.]

[Unnamed drug]

Origin: The Wizarding World

Quality: Holy Spirit Level
Type: Consumable/Enchanted Potion
Effects: This potion can be applied to melee weapons to enchant them for 5 minutes. During this time, each attack against Old Gods/Vanilla/Abyssal creatures will deal an additional 387-1050 true damage (this damage will be double-checked based on the user's Intelligence attribute and has a certain probability of triggering the "Divine Blood Annihilation" effect, inflicting holy burn equal to 1% of the target's maximum health).

Rating: 998 points (Holy Spirit level items have a rating of 700-1000 points)
Synopsis: This is no ordinary object; it was forged from the last divine blood of the ancient God of Radiant Gold, tempered with the light of stars and an immortal will. It is the dawn that pierces through eternal darkness, the resolute act of slaying gods. It carries not hope, but the destiny of a predetermined end.

Selling Price: Soul Crystal (Large) x6
The panel in the Paradise of Reincarnation shows that the properties of this new potion are three to four times stronger than the previous [Holy Silver Diluted Solution].

Lin Yi examined the potion, which resembled liquid sunlight, and suggested naming it the "Golden Elixir."

This potion can be considered a special weapon against the ancient gods. If the ancient god forces in the void were to learn of its creation, Su Xiao and Lin Yi, as the main developers, would surely face relentless pursuit.

This transcends ordinary conflicts of interest; like the struggle between spellcasters and spell destroyers in the Second Era, it is a fundamental conflict concerning the path and survival.

Those who destroy the law are few in number due to the strict requirements of their lineage, but the [Radiant Gold Potion] has the potential for large-scale production.

Given the danger the Ancient Gods pose to the Void, once this potion becomes widely available, many factions will inevitably vie to acquire it, and the Ancient Gods may be hunted to the brink of extinction.

Lin Yi looked at Su Xiao, and their eyes met, their meaning clear: if this potion were to be used against an ancient god in the future, he must kill them all and never give them any chance to send a message.

After completing all preparations, Lin Yi issued the order to evacuate all personnel from the third block of Bone Harbor through the public communication channel.

Although the specific reasons are unclear, most violators chose to comply and quickly leave after receiving the information.

Not only in the third block, but also in the first and second blocks, violators left one after another.

They naturally understood the principle that a wise person does not stand under a dangerous wall.

According to Gus and the other two, the Dominator is asleep in Bone Harbor, but neither Dawn nor Gus knows its specific abilities.

Before the crusade they organized back then had even officially engaged in battle, their own wizards had already lost control on a large scale due to the activation of their power source.

The only one who actually fought the Dominator was Nia, but unfortunately she died many years ago and was unable to send back any information. They only learned of Nia's defeat and death when the Dominator came to them in person.

Su Xiao and Lin Yi quickly left the Holy Silver District and entered Bone Harbor.

Although it was morning, the local customs of Bone Harbor remained "simple and honest," and the two witnessed a large-scale brawl between two gangs along the way.

Based on several suspicious points identified by Bahamut's aerial reconnaissance and the vague location provided by Dawn, they arrived at the Third District. The Dominator likely slumbers in this area.

Before entering, various colored lights flashed around Su Xiao's body, which was the buff effect applied by Lin Yi. A minute later, Su Xiao took a deep breath, feeling the surging power within his body, drew his Dragon Slayer Blade, and stepped into the streets of Bone Harbor, which were filled with the smell of fish and decay.

Standing in front of a two-story building, Su Xiao unsheathed the Dragon Slayer from his waist and held it in his hand, then raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Boom, boom, boom.

The knocking echoed in the silence, but no one answered from inside. However, Su Xiao's senses detected the presence of a living being inside.

boom!
After waiting a moment, Su Xiao kicked the wooden door open.

Amidst the flying splinters of wood, a figure dressed in tattered clothes and wielding a fish-killing knife suddenly burst forth—it was an old man with fierce eyes.

The old man rushed forward a few steps before suddenly stopping. He quickly examined Su Xiao, as well as the burly Amu behind him and Baha on his shoulder. A look of deliberation flashed across his face. Then, he decisively threw down the fish-killing knife and squatted on the ground with a resentful expression.

"There's half a loaf of bread left in the cupboard, and five copper coins under the bed. Take them and hurry." The old man's judgment was quite wise.

Su Xiao entered the stone building and quickly checked the first floor, but found nothing. He then checked the second floor, which was being used as a storage room.

"Entrance fee." Su Xiao tossed out a silver coin.

The old man squatting on the ground instinctively caught it, and upon seeing its silvery luster, immediately put it in his mouth and bit it with his teeth.

The search of the first building yielded no results, and Su Xiaowei frowned.

Upon entering the third district of Bone Harbor, he increasingly felt that it was unlikely the Dominator would choose such a place filled with the stench of decay to slumber.

There are five suspicious buildings locked down by Bahamut, which are adjacent to each other.

If the Dawn intelligence is accurate, the Dominator must be in this region.

Su Xiao knocked on the door of the second stone building, but there was still no response. After legally breaking down the door, a faint, sweet, and metallic smell wafted out.

Click, click——

The crisp sound of chewing came from inside the room.

A small white goat is leisurely grazing on the tender green saplings growing on the ground.

The room was strangely "lush," with a layer of animal carcasses on the floor, from which the lush green saplings were growing.

"As expected, they won't let this go." The white goat chewed on the tender leaves and spoke in human language.

Zheng——

Su Xiao drew his sword, the Dragon Slayer, from its sheath, and the energy of the Azure Steel Shadow surged through the blade.

"Wake up, the guest has arrived. Kill him, or... be killed by him. This guest is no ordinary person." After the white goat finished speaking, its fur rapidly fell off, and its entire body turned to ashes and vanished without a trace.

As the white goat vanished, the animal carcasses in the room also evaporated, revealing the dark-colored floor.

Su Xiao activated his full senses. Amu and Baha stood in front of Lin Yi, Bubuwang blended into the environment, and Caesar had already disappeared.

The next moment, several sharp blades slashed out, covering all the structural nodes of the stone building.

boom!
Stone fragments and wood chips flew everywhere, and the stone building was razed to the ground with a roar, leaving only a patch of uneven ice in its place.

After the stone building was destroyed, about two meters in mid-air, a fine, irregular black crack appeared, like a still, broken mirror, emitting ominous spatial fluctuations.

Su Xiao tentatively swung a blade of light across the crack, but it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, causing no effect whatsoever.

“Spatial properties,” he immediately judged, while gesturing for everyone to disperse quickly.

Facing unknown spatial abilities, gathering together would undoubtedly give the opponent an opportunity to wipe them all out.

Tick ​​tock, tick tock——

A thick, dark liquid began to seep and drip from the cracks.

At first it was slow, like the blood of a dying person, but after a few seconds it surged out as if some kind of floodgate had been opened.

Within the black liquid, countless slowly wriggling tentacles could be vaguely seen, emitting a strong stench.

The black liquid, as if it possessed a life of its own, rapidly spread and expanded across the ground.

Su Xiao leaped backward again, avoiding direct contact with the black liquid.

In less than a minute, the eerie black liquid had covered an area of ​​several hundred meters around it, turning the ground beneath their feet into a writhing black swamp.

At that moment, a slight stinging sensation came from the back of Su Xiao's hand.

He looked down and saw a strange black array rapidly taking shape.

Just as Su Xiao was about to make a move, she immediately noticed something unusual about her surroundings.

The surrounding scenery began to appear double and distorted. The walls, the ground, and even Baha and Amu in the air seemed to become images in a funhouse mirror, giving people a strong sense of unreality and dizziness.

The space itself seemed to be groaning, emitting a creaking sound as it struggled under the weight.

Unlike the spatial distortion on Su Xiao's side, Lin Yi's situation on the other side was even more critical.

Centered on Lin Yi, the space around him was no longer simply distorted, but began to fold and compress violently.

In the area where he was, the light was being frantically pulled and torn apart, and everything in his field of vision was spinning rapidly, as if trying to crumple him and the space around him into a piece of waste paper.

The sound of breaking did not come from physical objects, but from the lament of the spatial structure itself collapsing.

Upon seeing this, Su Xiao instinctively wanted to activate Dragon Shadow Flash, but a terrifying sense of deadly crisis suddenly surged up, warning him that using spatial abilities at this moment would result in death.

The rulers had already set traps for spatial movement.

boom!
In the blink of an eye, Su Xiao abandoned the use of Dragon Shadow Flash.

He suddenly exerted force with his feet, and with a loud bang, the ground cracked. His figure, relying on pure physical strength, instantly disappeared from the spot and sped off in Lin Yi's direction.

Lin Yi only had time to look at Su Xiao rushing towards him before he was completely swallowed up by the black vortex and disappeared.

The distorted space calmed down, leaving only the crack that was still dripping black liquid and the spreading black swamp.

"Quite insidious, this ancient god." Baha swooped down from the sky, instantly grasping the situation with his rich combat experience.

"You want to separate us and deal with us one by one?"

The Dominator's intention is clear: to use spatial abilities to drag them into its dominant territory and then use its home-field advantage to deal with them alone.

The anticipated brawl seemed to have turned into Lin Yi facing the ruler alone.

But... is that really the case?

Su Xiao stood where the black vortex disappeared, slowly raising the back of his hand covered with black array patterns. Blue-green arcs of electricity began to leap on the blade of the Dragon Slayer, emitting dangerous crackling sounds.

“Am, Baha, be on guard,” he gave a brief order.

Then, Su Xiao stared at the space where the black vortex had appeared. Although the vortex had disappeared, he could still sense a faint spatial "scar".

"Got you."

Su Xiao gripped the sword with both hands and made a simple, unadorned upward slash towards the empty space.

There was no earth-shattering noise, only a tearing sound like cloth being forcibly ripped apart.

He forcefully "pried" open a crack with fine electric sparks flashing along its edge using the Dragon Slayer Flash.

Without any hesitation, before the spatial rift began to rapidly shrink and heal, Su Xiao's figure flashed, like a slippery fish, and he forced his way in.

boom!
After he entered, the spatial rift instantly closed, as if it had never existed.

Baha looked at the spot where Su Xiao had disappeared and clicked his tongue: "Well, the one-on-one fight I was planning has now turned into a two-on-one. I hope that ancient god can hold on."

Putting the hunter and his teammates in a cage? That's probably the biggest mistake the Dominator has made tonight. (End of Chapter)