Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

In Lin Yi's mind, the inscription beneath the strange stone sculpture in the Hall of Dominion clearly appeared: 'Guardians of the world, we wish to bask in your glory... Hughes Alexandria (Divine Calendar Year 1157).'

Hughes Alexander... Hughes Archid...

"I see. The inscription beneath that statue is not hypocritical flattery, but the starting point of a millennium-long plan to paralyze and exploit Sothos. The Hughes family, from the very beginning, has been the deepest and most hidden nail planted by 'it'—the consciousness of Azathoth."

“Dual lineages, pawns in the open and in the shadows.” Lin Yi continued to analyze, his thinking frighteningly clear, stringing together fragmented clues into a complete chain of conspiracy. “The Hughes lineage is responsible for infiltration and the transmission of consciousness, ensuring that the flame of the plan never goes out. The Moen lineage, on the other hand, is pushed to the forefront as a banner to promote ‘resistance.’ All efforts, including Senior Laurent’s gathering of people and all-out efforts to defeat Sothos, are for one ultimate purpose.”

“To cultivate the perfect vessel capable of containing Azathoth’s consciousness and fighting against the ancient god Sothoth—'Nia'.”

"The entire war of punitive expedition, in a sense, was a meticulously planned 'breeding of poisonous insects.' Through the sacrifice of countless wizards and the pressure brought by Sothos, Nia was forced to grow and transform until she reached the standard that could withstand the descent of Azathos. All your struggles, passion, and sacrifices were invisibly guided and became the breeding ground for the incubator."

"But the script took an unexpected turn. Laurent, the pawn who had been used all along, woke up at the last moment, or perhaps he had been aware of it all along, just waiting for the crucial moment. He prevented Azathoth's consciousness from completely taking over Nya's, allowing Nya to complete that mission with a relatively independent will. This can be called the MVP of the losing side's reversal, causing Azathoth's plan to backfire for the first time."

Lin Yi paused, then continued, "Azathoth did not fly into a rage. This being, originating from the concept of chaos, possesses patience far beyond imagination. He chose to continue waiting for the next 'Nia' to appear. Unfortunately, instead of waiting for a second perfect vessel, he encountered us."

Lin Yi's gaze turned to Hughes Archid.

Azathoth's consciousness and bestial body were separated. He needed a temporary body qualified to fight the Old Gods as a springboard to return to and take control of his original body and complete his final resurrection.

Without His secret protection and guidance, Nia might never have grown to the point of threatening Sothos; she would have been nipped in the bud.

The Hughes family knows this core secret, but they are branded deep within their souls and bound by Azathoth, unable to speak the truth.

The Moen family, on the other hand, remained completely oblivious, struggling to be manipulated while believing they were fighting for the freedom and light of the world—how pathetic, and how ironic.

The distortion and darkness of this world are, on the surface, caused by Sothos, the white goat, and the out-of-control body of 'Beast Azathoth'.

But the deeper root cause lies in Azathoth's consciousness.

He is more like a 'schemer' hiding behind the scenes, willing to use anything, including his out-of-control body, to create disasters for his ultimate goal of 'returning', as a testing ground for cultivating vessels and selecting pawns.

The sorrowful woman stepped forward, her energy surging, her gaze fixed intently on Hughes Archid.

The tragedy of Nia can be traced back to the fact that the old wizard's family was one of the accomplices in it all.

She was clearly prepared to do something to the old wizard who had once been a servant of Azathoth, even though he looked quite pitiful at the moment.

Lin Yi reached out and stopped her at that moment.

"and many more."

His gaze fell on the old wizard, filled with pure curiosity and inquiry: "Before resolving old grudges, I'm more curious about another question. With so many problems, such a heavy burden of 'original sin' and potential risk of going out of control, how did you manage to sign a contract with the Paradise of Reincarnation? Logically speaking, although the Paradise is very inclusive, it wouldn't easily choose a 'hidden danger' like you."

Hughes Archid let out a cold laugh upon hearing this, a laugh that sounded particularly jarring in the empty room.

“Sign a contract? Young man, you’ve got one thing wrong. It wasn’t me who actively sought out Paradise, begging for that glimmer of hope… It was Paradise of Reincarnation that found me when I was utterly despondent and hopeless.”

"Even if the Hughes clan are puppets, pawns, branded with destiny... after thousands of years of inheritance, generation after generation, has the will to resist never been born? That instinctive desire for freedom, suppressed deep in their blood and soul, may be weak, but it has never truly been extinguished."

Lin Yi and Su Xiao exchanged a glance and understood the reason behind it all.

The Garden of Reincarnation saw through Hughes Archid's repressed will to rebel deep within him and gave him an opportunity when he was at his most desperate—an opportunity to break free from his fate and even turn the tables on Azathoth.

This also perfectly explains why he previously provided those crucial pieces of information about the Crystal Heart and Nia in a seemingly contradictory way—it was both his way of proving his worth to Paradise and perhaps an attempt at self-redemption deep within his heart.

He couldn't tell the truth directly, but he could use this subtle approach to guide those who could break the deadlock in the right direction.

"I'm just a decrepit old man now, so I won't violate the rules of the Paradise of Reincarnation. But... why does your wine taste so strange?"

He paused, seemingly unwilling to continue the topic about himself, and turned to look at Su Xiao, shaking the empty wine bottle in his hand, a hint of doubt on his face: "The aftereffects have an... indescribable burning sensation, as if it goes straight to the soul? I've lived for so long and tasted countless fine wines, but this is the first time I've encountered this kind of taste."

“That’s not alcohol. I call it solution T49_37, which is basically an ‘energy-intensive toxicity manifested solution’.”

Upon hearing Su Xiao's words, the old wizard was stunned. He had actually thought that Su Xiao would poison the wine, but now he realized that the other party had not given him any wine at all, but instead gave him a bottle of poison that tasted just like strong liquor.

Poisoning the wine? That's too inefficient. Giving the enemy pure poison is the safest method.

The old wizard paused for a moment, then placed the 'empty bottle' at his feet.

"The taste is actually not bad, I'll have another bottle."

The old wizard made a hardcore demand for 'drinks'.

There's definitely a reason why this old guy has lived so long.

Su Xiao didn't seem surprised by this, and simply replied, "Okay."

With a flick of his wrist, another identical bottle of "T49_37 solution" appeared in his hand, which he tossed precisely to Hughes Archid.

The old wizard reached out and caught it, uncorked the bottle, and tilted his head back to drink it again with a "thump thump thump" sound. His face even showed an expression as if he were savoring a delicacy, as if he were drinking some kind of exquisite wine instead of a deadly poison.

"You've already shattered the Heart of Sealing, haven't you? I can feel it. As for whose body Azathoth's consciousness is currently residing in, well... I'm too lazy to say."

The old wizard's words, "He's too lazy to explain," are both helpless and heartbreaking; they are a lament he uttered only after everything had been arranged for him to understand.

The sorrowful woman remained silent, the energy fluctuations around her gradually subsided, but the sorrow in her eyes grew even deeper.

She stepped forward again, and this time, Lin Yi did not stop her.

She bent down, her movements so gentle it didn't seem like she was carrying out a revenge, but rather like she was performing a ritual.

She reached out and cradled Hughes Archid's gaunt head in her hands.

The old wizard did not resist; he even closed his eyes, his face showing a sense of relief and peace.

Click.

A soft sound, unusually clear in the quiet room.

The head was separated from the body.

The grieving woman did not destroy it, but carefully took it off and held it in her arms.

Warm tears silently slid down her cheeks and dripped onto the cold ground.

For her, Nia is everything.

The old wizard is part of the conspiracy and one of the culprits behind the creation of the Crystal Heart, but at this moment, the object of her revenge seems to have become blurred and complicated.

These tears are for Nia, for Laurent and the others who were exploited, and for this tragic fate.

With the old wizard completely dead, Lin Yi and Su Xiao did not hear any kill notifications.

The judgment of the Paradise of Reincarnation is very clear: Hughes Archid is no longer on the enemy side in the final stage.

Lin Yi stood up. “The three immortal wizards can be ruled out. If Laurent were possessed, there wouldn’t be so much trouble. As for Dawn and Gus, given Azathoth’s arrogance, he wouldn’t have considered their potential; choosing them would have been asking for trouble. The Daughter of Sorrow was once a candidate vessel, but she has been identified and deciphered by Nia, rendering her worthless. Therefore, the most likely target for Azathoth’s consciousness to remain is a core member of either the Hughes family or the Moen family.”

"The Hughes family has long since retired and has almost disappeared from the historical stage, making them difficult to trace. The Moen family, on the other hand, is now active in the public eye and is one of the dominant forces in the wizarding world."

Target identified: a core member of the Moen family.

……

A moment later, at the Wizarding Guild headquarters, Lin Yi and Su Xiao returned with the grieving woman.

Inside the hall, Laurent, Dawn, and Gus, who had recovered much of their energy after a short rest, were already waiting.

"I've found you some work," Lin Yi said, getting straight to the point without any pleasantries. "Come down with us."

Laurent looked at the paleness that had not yet completely faded from Lin Yi's face, and at the restrained yet still compelling killing intent emanating from Su Xiao. He then looked at the head in the arms of the Sorrowful Woman and the tear stains on her face, and he understood most of the situation.

He didn't ask for details: "What do you need us to do?"

"We need you guys to keep things in order."

Dawn and Gus also stood up without any hesitation.

Although they were unaware of all the details, they knew that what the two men were doing concerned the ultimate fate of the world, and that these two people from the outside world were their only hope at the moment.

At the same time, Caesar's lewd yet excited voice burst through the door: "Kukulin, it's done! Those Moen family guys, as soon as they heard you had a high-level potion formula to 'sell,' ran faster than hyenas smelling blood! They're almost at the Wizarding Guild!"

The plan is proceeding smoothly.

They used the promise of selling potion recipes as bait to lure the snake out of its hole.

……

On the tenth floor of the Wizarding Guild, in a living room that had been temporarily and carefully decorated.

A dozen or so wizard servants busied themselves setting out exquisite food and drinks on a round stone table, trying to create an atmosphere of friendly conversation.

Dressed in retro aristocratic attire, the clean-shaven, fair-skinned Moen Tony, with a warm yet slightly obsequious smile, kept urging, "Hurry! Hurry! The guests could arrive at any moment, so everyone be on your guard!"

When only a few core members remained in the room, the old man who had been sitting upright in the main seat, dressed in a black robe, with a deep and mysterious aura—Moen Alfons, the current patriarch of the Moen family—slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were calm and still, but something indescribable seemed to be hidden deep within them.

"The guests have arrived," came the announcement from outside the door.

Moen Tony immediately put on his warmest smile and strode towards the door: "Distinguished gentlemen, everything is ready inside..."

His words came to an abrupt halt, and his smile froze on his face.

Because what he saw was not only Su Xiao and Lin Yi, but also three immortal wizards standing silently behind them like three great mountains!
Laurent, Dawn, and Gus—these three individuals exert an unparalleled sense of oppression on any wizard, especially those from the Moen family.

Lin Yi completely ignored Moen Tony's polite words, grabbed his shoulder, and roughly dragged him into the room.

The three immortal wizards filed in, and without exchanging words, they tacitly dispersed, subtly occupying three corners of the room. The invisible energy intertwined, instantly enveloping the entire living room and forming a solid blockade.

Inside the room, the remaining core members of the Moen family instantly turned pale, their bodies stiffened, and they sat motionless in their seats.

They did set up some ambushes and backup plans, but those plans seemed so ridiculous and powerless in the face of the three immortal wizards who had recovered considerably.

Su Xiao's gaze swept past everyone and landed on Moen Alphs, who was in the main seat.

Lin Yi's perception was already fully activated, and the sensitivity of the Abyss Power to the origin of life and abnormal soul fluctuations was pushed to the extreme.

Beneath Moen Alphs' seemingly calm exterior, he sensed an extremely subtle fluctuation of his soul.

It has similarities to the ancient god aura that I sensed from the ruler Sothoth, but it is more restrained.

"It's him," Lin Yi said to Su Xiao in a low voice, his tone absolutely certain.

Without any warning, Su Xiao made a move.

"Qiang——!"

The roar of a dragon as it flashed from its sheath echoed throughout the living room!

A blade of light, incredibly fast, like a white line tearing through space, slashed straight towards Moen Alphs's neck!

Moen Alphs seemed to want to move, to resist. A flash of incredulous shock and anger crossed his eyes, and a dark magical fluctuation was about to surge around him—

"Boom!!!"

An invisible force field, far heavier than any before, descended with the force of a mountain weighing billions of tons! It directly affected the very essence of his soul!
"Pfft—!" Lin Yi spat out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning ashen. He could no longer hold on and collapsed to his knees, his body trembling uncontrollably due to the immense backlash.

For the third time in one day, Lin Yi forcibly activated [Soul Suppression], and this time it was against a BOSS-level being like Azathoth. The backlash was extremely severe for Lin Yi.

But this price was paid for a crucial fraction of a second!
The magic that Moen Alphs had just gathered around him instantly dissipated. His movements, his thoughts, and even the ancient consciousness within him that was trying to escape were all forcibly frozen by this terrifying force of soul suppression.

A flash of light!
A head filled with astonishment shot into the sky!

Warm blood gushed out from the severed neck like a fountain.

Just as the head flew off, a blurry, distorted, gray-black shadow, exuding an aura of chaos and folly, struggled to break free from the headless corpse.

But Su Xiao was even faster.

With a flick of his wrist, a wooden plaque with intricate patterns on its surface—the "Chapter of Greed"—was launched with the precision of a dart, piercing the forehead of the head that had not yet hit the ground.

The groove on the [Chapter of Greed] instantly burst forth with a strong blue light, forming a miniature vortex that generated an irresistible suction force, firmly locking onto the gray-black shadow that was trying to escape.

"No—!!!" A spiritual roar, filled with anger, resentment, and the unique tone of an ancient language, exploded in everyone's consciousness.

But the struggle was futile. Faced with the special item [Chapter of Greed], especially at the moment when his soul was desperately suppressed by Lin Yi and his body was destroyed, even Azathoth's core consciousness could not break free.

The gray-black shadow was pulled as if by an invisible hand and forcibly sucked into the blue vortex of the [Chapter of Greed].

As the light faded, the wooden sign became plain and unadorned, and fell to the carpeted floor with a clatter.

At the same time, Moen Alphs' headless corpse seemed to lose all support and collapsed heavily onto the table laden with food with a "thud," leaving the dishes and cups in disarray.

The living room was deathly silent.

All that remained were Lin Yi's heavy, suppressed breathing and the faint sounds of the other members of the Moen family chattering with extreme fear.

The three immortal wizards maintained the blockade, watching the scene unfold with complex expressions.

They could sense that the malice that had been hanging over the world like a dark cloud and had even secretly controlled their fate for so long... seemed to have truly disappeared.

Su Xiao stepped forward, bent down and picked up the [Chapter of Greed], feeling the faint vibration and roar emanating from it, and put it away expressionlessly.

The butcher who had "killed" him countless times was now, inside the [Chapter of Greed], probably "warmly" welcoming this new guest from the ancient chaos.

The grieving woman walked to Lin Yi's side, knelt down, and supported his almost exhausted body.

The biggest mastermind behind it all, Azathoth's consciousness, has finally been eradicated.

But they all knew that the matter was not over yet.

The white goat, and the potentially desperate Sphinx, are still lurking in the shadows. (End of Chapter)