Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

The world breathed a sigh of relief with the fall of its ruler and was rejuvenated.

Inside the ancient temple, Su Xiao stood before the corpse of the Dominator Sothos and pulled out the long sword that had pierced his body.

The moment the longsword completely detached from the divine body, it emitted a clear, melodious hum. The filth on the blade was shaken away by an invisible force, restoring its snow-white sharpness.

Su Xiao flicked his wrist, shaking off the remaining blood, and sheathed his sword.

An indescribable feeling lingered in his heart—when fighting Sothos, the opponent clearly exuded a suffocatingly powerful aura, as if he were an invincible being, but after actually exchanging blows, he felt a sense of emptiness, like a "paper tiger" that was all show and no substance.

Su Xiao temporarily suppressed his doubts. In any case, the ancient god in front of him was definitely dead, that was an indisputable fact.

At the same time, Lin Yi also breathed a sigh of relief and exited the activated state of the Abyss Power.

The violent energy that had filled my body receded like a tide, followed by an indescribable feeling of weakness, as if I had just recovered from a serious illness, with my limbs and bones feeling sore and weak.

Lin Yi's body swayed uncontrollably, his legs went weak, and he was about to fall forward.

"Woo!"

Bubuwang reacted extremely quickly, letting out a low growl as it tried to charge forward, but Baha was even faster!

It hovered low in the air, vigilantly watching its surroundings.

With a sudden flap of its wings, it swept across several meters like a black lightning bolt, precisely hooking its claws around Lin Yi's collar and lifting him up.

"Ho!"

Lin Yi groaned, his body, which was about to fall, was forcibly pulled back. He staggered for a moment, but finally managed to stand up again.

A fine layer of cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and his face was frighteningly pale.

"Thanks, Baha." He forced a smile, his voice hoarse and weak from exhaustion.

Su Xiao walked up to him without saying a word, only casting an inquiring glance at him.

Lin Yi waved his hand, indicating that he was fine and just exhausted.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his churning blood, and then used the fluffy head of the dog that had come closer for support, regaining his balance on his somewhat unsteady steps.

Only then did the emptiness within him ease slightly, allowing him to concentrate and carefully examine the prompts for his own cycle of reincarnation.

The Hunter has assisted in the kill of Dominator Sothos.

The Hunter has helped recover 1753 ounces of time-space power.

You have gained 16.3% of the World Source.

You have obtained 138 Soul Coins, which can be used to purchase any reward you require from the following rewards. If the Hunter does not make a choice within five minutes, the Soul Coins will materialize.

1. God's Bone (rare item, exclusive reward for killing gods)

Price: 140 Soul Coins.

……

2. Epic Chest (100%)

Tip: There is a 10% chance of obtaining an epic or higher quality equipment from this treasure chest.

Price: 73 Soul Coins.

……

3. Source Blood - Void (Bloodline item; this bloodline is perfected and the evil divinity has been removed).
Price: 280 Soul Coins

……

4. Heart of Hope (Special Item)

Price: 20 Soul Coins.

……

The reward list he saw was almost identical to Su Xiao's, except that the number of Soul Coins was less, which was in line with the distribution principle of "assisting kills".

"Not bad." Lin Yi looked at Su Xiao, his breathing still a little weak, but his eyes had regained their clarity. "What do you choose? If you don't have enough money, I have some here."

The soul coins that Lin Yi had previously plundered from those rulebreakers were a huge sum of money, enough for the two of them to buy everything in the shop and still have some left over.

Su Xiao made his choice almost without hesitation: "I want the [Divine Bone] and the [Source Blood - Void]."

As an exclusive reward for slaying gods, the rarity and potential value of the [Divine Bone] are self-evident. Su Xiao was unaware of the function of the [Divine Bone] before, so he gave up several opportunities to choose it.

Ever since learning about the effects of the [Divine Bone] from Lin Yi, Su Xiao naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass.

As for [Source Blood·Void], as a perfect bloodline item that has been rid of the evil divinity, it contains pure spatial attribute power, and Su Xiao almost immediately thought of Bahamut.

This bloodline is highly compatible with Bahamut. If they can successfully fuse, it is very likely to greatly enhance Bahamut's already outstanding spatial talent, making it even more powerful in combat, raids, and escapes.

Improving Bahamut's strength means improving the strength of the entire team.

“Alright, then the remaining [Epic Treasure Chest] and [Heart of Hope] are mine.” Lin Yi readily agreed. He paid the corresponding Soul Coins and pocketed the two items.

[Epic Chest (100%)] He glanced at it and tossed it into his personal space; now was not a good time to open it.

The special item called the "Heart of Hope" felt warm to the touch, as if it were still pulsating slightly, radiating a pure and resilient life force.

Looking at it, Lin Yi understood—in this world, besides Shia, the girl who fought against darkness alone in the name of hope and ultimately perished, who else is qualified to leave behind a heart called "hope"?

Even those three immortal wizards could not bear the weight and purity that this name represented.

This is the last trace Shia left in the world, and also the legacy of her will.

"Wait a moment." After saying that, Su Xiao walked to the side of Sothos's slowly dissipating corpse and placed one hand on it.

With the Soul Eater talent activated, three orbs of light, each a different color and emitting different energy fluctuations, struggled to float out from Sothos's shattered chest and were finally held firmly in Su Xiao's hand.

These are fragments of memories or primordial skills plundered from the depths of an ancient god's soul, their value immeasurable.

Lin Yi waited quietly to the side, while taking the time to adjust his breathing and recover his excessive physical and mental strength.

He hadn't expected Su Xiao to have such a method of directly "touching" the soul of a corpse.

After a few minutes, Su Xiao suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them, as if he had obtained some key information from Sothos's memory fragments.

Su Xiao then looked at Lin Yi and handed a wisp of the remaining memory orb to Lin Yi.

Seeing Su Xiao's expression, Lin Yi did not refuse and immediately pushed the remaining memory orb into his mind.

[You have used 'Technique Memory - Forget-Me-Not (Incomplete)'.]

It was still the ancient temple. Sothos, wielding a twisted and malevolent weapon, floated in mid-air. In front of it was a slender girl, now covered in blood, her weapon 'Crescent Moonlight' pointing diagonally at the ground.

"Forget-me-not."

The girl murmured softly as she took a step forward.

Zheng!
A golden slash swept past, accompanied by a surge of wind pressure. The girl's slender body unleashed terrifying combat power, and it took a full half minute for the golden slash to show any signs of fading.

With a thud, Sothos's upper head fell to the ground.

Seeing this, the girl held the Crescent Moonlight to her neck. The blade slashed across, leaving a deep wound. After using 'Forget-Me-Not', she didn't even have the strength to take a step forward, let alone continue fighting. The ancient god's blood within her was something her enemies craved. She could die, but she couldn't let her enemies continue to grow stronger.

Blood mist drifted from the girl's neck. She smiled and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

From the start of the battle to her death, the girl uttered only three words: "Forget me not." This was her strongest ability and also a kind of expectation, proving that she had existed. She did not yearn for beauty or freedom; she had a mission to fulfill, and there was nothing she could do about it.

As the girl collapsed, her memories began to fade.

The memory orb that Su Xiao gave to Lin Yi was already damaged, so it was quite remarkable that it lasted this long before collapsing.

At the same time Lin Yi awoke, the entire ancient temple began to shake violently, and large spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly across the walls and dome!
Without the power of its master Sothos to sustain it, this alternate dimension is on the verge of collapse!
"go!"

Su Xiao gave a low shout, and the two people, the dog, the cow, and the bird rushed towards the entrance of the main hall without hesitation.

Boom——! ! !
A deafening crashing sound came from behind, and a blinding light swept in accompanied by violent spatial turbulence.

A tremendous force slammed into their backs, propelling them like cannonballs out of the annihilating alternate dimension. The spatial fluctuations receded like a tide, and the blinding light made it impossible to open one's eyes.

The bright light gradually faded, but the outside light was still somewhat dazzling.

Lin Yi propped himself up on a patch of slightly soft, fragrant grass, instinctively shielding his eyes with one hand and squinting at the sky.

It's sunlight.

The long-awaited, warm, and somewhat dazzling sunlight.

He shook his slightly dizzy head and looked around.

They seemed to have landed on an open area on the edge of Bone Harbor, but the scene before them was vastly different from the Bone Harbor they remembered.

The surrounding stone buildings are no longer the gray-black color stained by dirt, bloodstains and dampness, but instead present a simple yellowish-brown, which is the natural color of rocks after being exposed to sunlight for a long time.

The lush green grass that was once scattered on the ground has now grown in patches. Although it is not lush, it tenaciously and vibrantly proclaims the return of life.

A gentle breeze blew by, bringing with it the fresh scent of grass with a hint of earthiness, trying to dispel the faint traces of filth and blood in the air.

The whole world seemed to have just undergone a thorough cleansing; although still broken, it exuded a refreshing sense of relief after surviving a catastrophe.

"Where the hell is this?" Baha flapped its wings, landing on Lin Yi's shoulder somewhat dizzy, looking around in its unique tone of voice, completely bewildered.

The scene before it was so "normal" that it almost didn't recognize it.

It wasn't until it saw a group of desperate men, dressed in tattered clothes, carrying crude weapons, with fierce yet bewildered eyes, running past in the distance, that it was certain that this was still the familiar Bone Harbor, only... the environment had changed drastically.

Just then, the notification from the Paradise of Reincarnation sounded again, but this time it was directed at Su Xiao and Lin Yi.

[Note: The hunter is blessed by this world, but this blessing does not originate from the Cycle of Reincarnation.]

[While in this world, the hunter's luck attribute will be temporarily increased by 10 points.]

[While in this world, the hunter's chest drop rate is increased by 29%.]

[While in this world, hunters will gain 50 points of True Charisma when interacting with story characters.]

"The world's own gratitude..." Lin Yi felt the blessing from the unseen world and understood.

The slaying of the Ancient Gods allowed this tormented world to catch its breath; this was a spontaneous response from the world's consciousness.

Clearly, the fall of Sothos severed the ancient gods' influence on some of the core rules of this world, allowing sunlight and life to briefly return, and giving the world's original will a chance to resist.

However, this brief period of normalcy did not last long.

Before Su Xiao could even think about her next move, a new main quest had already been activated.

The Hunter has completed the second stage of the main quest.

[You have obtained an Epic Weapon Chest (you can specify the weapon type; this chest always yields a fully rated Epic weapon, socketed with 1-2 gems of the same tier).]

Main Quest - Third Stage (Activated)

Main Quest: White Goat (Third Ring)

Difficulty level: Lv.56
Mission information: Locate the white goat and kill it.

Tip: White goats have a very high chance of actively seeking out predators.

Task period: 13 days.

Task Reward: Triumphant Glory (High-level privileges, visible upon task completion)

Mission penalty: none
"The task penalty... is none." Lin Yi also saw the same content in his task list, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Su Xiao's expression also turned serious. After a long period of exploration in the Paradise of Reincarnation, they had already figured out some of the patterns.

If the punishment for a task is "forced execution," then it's actually quite simple and direct, more like a stern reminder that forces you to complete it.

If the punishment is very light, such as deducting some attribute points or Paradise Coins, then you need to be highly vigilant, because this often means that the task itself is extremely dangerous, and the slightest carelessness will lead to utter ruin. Failure to complete the task is basically equivalent to death, and the punishment becomes secondary.

And what's happening now, where they directly label it "no" penalty... that's practically like winning the "jackpot" in a death game.

This usually means only one thing: even the cycle of reincarnation feels that there is no need to use any punishment measures to urge or threaten you anymore.

Alternatively, the mission objective will encounter you in a relentless, all-or-nothing manner, relentlessly pursuing you no matter where you flee, leaving you with nowhere to run but to fight to the death.

Alternatively, the level of danger during the mission may have been so high that any form of punishment would be superfluous and meaningless.

Survival, or death, is the sole criterion for judging whether a task has been completed.

To survive is a reward; to fail is death.

"White Goat..." Su Xiao murmured the name, a hint of killing intent flashing within him.

Lin Yi's eyes also flashed with a cold light: "Perfect, let's settle old scores and new grudges together."

He recalled the White Goat's raid on Eisenla.

More importantly, the White Goat, in league with the Sphinx, is an enemy that must be eliminated.

Now that Sothos is dead, the White Goat has naturally become the next thorn in our side that must be removed.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing undisguised murderous intent in each other's eyes.

Needless to say, the goal is clear.

Su Xiao planned to first go to the House of Rest to find the Sorrowful Woman, to purify the dark corruption he had acquired when killing Sothos, and at the same time see if there was anything unusual about that guy.

At this moment, his entire right arm and most of his torso were covered in an ominous blackness, like a bone-deep infection, constantly sending out chilling stinging sensations. This was one of the prices he paid for forcibly killing the ancient god.

However, before they had even left the Bone Harbor, another mutation occurred!

In the sky, the once brilliant sunlight dimmed and thinned rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if it had been wiped away by an invisible hand.

Depressing dark clouds gathered again from all directions, like a black tide, once again covering the entire sky and completely swallowing up the newly emerged azure blue.

The light quickly dimmed, returning to its previous hazy state.

Su Xiao stopped and looked sharply at the side of the street.

Those tender green grasses that had just stubbornly grown were now withering, turning yellow, and shrinking at an alarming rate, eventually turning into a puddle of black mud.

Not only the plants, but all the surrounding buildings, whether stone or wooden, began to turn black rapidly. A layer of sticky, soft black grime clung to them like living things, emitting a faint stench of decay.

Warmth and vitality were rapidly drained away, and a cold, deathly atmosphere once again took over.

In just a few minutes, the world seemed to have fallen from a brief spring day back into an eternal winter, even more suffocating than before.

"Heh." Su Xiao sneered, looking up at the dark, cloud-covered sky with icy eyes. "White Goat."

The reason is self-evident: after the fall of Sothos, the part of the world rules and authority that he controlled and corrupted did not return to the world itself, but was immediately taken over by another ancient god who had been eyeing it for a long time in a more domineering way.

This newly appointed "ruler" clearly has no intention of restoring the world to normalcy; on the contrary, he is intensifying his influence.

This new ruler is the white goat.

Inside the temporary command center, converted from the old church, on the top floor of the Wizarding Guild headquarters.

After dealing with the Dominator Sothos, Lin Yi didn't delay at all and returned directly to the safe house, bringing the Sorrowful Daughter, who had been staying there, here.

The situation in the wizarding world is now clear, with the opposing camps clearly defined, and there is no need to resort to those roundabout and probing tactics anymore.

At this moment, the forces gathered under Lin Yi's command have begun to take shape and are unprecedentedly powerful.

Under the combined influence of Su Xiao's "Holy Flame Pharmacist" persona and Lin Yi's stable supply of medicines, nearly 70% of the violators who were originally based in Aisenla chose to defect to Heru City and gather under Lin Yi's banner.

In addition, Lin Yi almost miraculously cured the long-standing problems of the three immortal wizards—Gus, Dawn, and Laurent—allowing these three former gods to regain a considerable amount of power and become indispensable high-end combat forces.

Inside the stone chamber, Su Xiao was focused on preparing the [Source Blood - Void] he had obtained from Sothos.

In the eyes of the three immortal wizards and the silently standing, sorrowful woman, the remnants of the once invincible ancient god were now only worth as raw materials. (End of Chapter)