Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

It must be said that Shub's abilities as an Old God are indeed formidable.

After absorbing the life force of Dawn and Gus, the dark energy surging around her almost solidified, and she fought Laurent to a standstill.

Lin Yi leaned against a broken wall. The trauma to his soul made it difficult for him to even stand up. He could only watch the duel in the air with his eyes wide open.

Su Xiao's condition is slightly better, but forcibly using Dragon Shadow Flash to traverse the space distorted by Azathoth has caused varying degrees of damage to his internal organs. Although Lin Yi's skills are helping Su Xiao recover, he will not be able to fight for a short period of time.

In the air, the magic runes and the black mist clashed fiercely, each clash causing the surrounding space to hum under immense strain.

Laurent's fighting style completely overturned people's understanding of wizards.

He doesn't need a staff or spells at all; the magic markings all over his body are the most powerful medium for casting spells.

With a punch, magical runes flowed, and the compressed mana formed a visible shockwave at the fist's edge.

"boom!"

The dark shield that Shub had barely managed to condense shattered instantly, and the residual force of the punch struck her left shoulder, causing her entire shoulder to explode into a cloud of black mist.

However, in the next second, a surge of life force erupted from Shub's body, the black mist reformed, and her shoulder was completely healed.

She sneered, and countless tentacles emerged from the void, wrapping around Laurent's limbs.

"it's useless."

Laurent's expression was solemn, and magic runes flowed rapidly across his body, shattering any tentacles that approached.

But as Shub said, this war of attrition was extremely disadvantageous to him.

Each time a devastating blow is dealt to an opponent, it consumes a large amount of mana, while Shub can recover completely with just a thought.

The five-minute battle came at a price for both of them.

When they finally separated and landed, Shub's magnificent black robe was tattered, and the black mist around her had thinned considerably, revealing her true appearance.

It was a face beyond human comprehension, its skin like the finest white jade, yet faintly radiating the glow of life; its features were so exquisite as if crafted by a divine artisan, every line flawless; most unsettling were its eyes, the pupils seemingly swirling with nebulae, possessing an eerie quality.

Laurent's condition was equally worrying; he was breathing heavily, the glow of the magic runes on his body had dimmed considerably, and fine beads of sweat were seeping from his forehead.

Although Laurent held the absolute upper hand throughout the battle, Shub's almost unstoppable regeneration made his attacks seem futile.

“Your skill truly amazes me, Laurent.” Shub’s voice became much more ethereal, with multiple echoes, as if countless voices were speaking at the same time. “But unfortunately, skill alone cannot kill me.”

Just then, Su Xiao stood up, leaning on his sword, the Dragon Slayer. Although his internal injuries had not healed, his hand holding the sword remained steady.

Blue-green arcs of electricity crackled again on the blade, leaving faint marks on the ground with each step.

Upon seeing that familiar cyan-blue energy, a hint of barely concealed apprehension flashed in Shub's eyes.

That was a fear etched into one's instincts over the long years—a fear of the destroyers of the law, a fear of the Blue Steel Shadow.

"Cease fire," Shub suddenly spoke, her voice echoing much less clearly. "Continuing to fight will do no good for anyone."

She surveyed the battlefield, quickly analyzing the situation.

Although Shub is in the best condition right now, once Dawn and Gus recover from the tentacles' restraints, and with Su Xiao and Lin Yi providing support from the sidelines, she has no chance of winning.

She was certain that if she were in Azathoth's position, facing this siege, she probably wouldn't last more than ten moves.

Su Xiao stopped ten steps away from Shub, slightly raising the tip of his blade: "Fine, hand over the power of time and space and Xia."

Shub let out a cold laugh: "If I hand over these now, what bargaining chips will I have left? Won't I be at your mercy then?"

The two sides reached a stalemate, and the atmosphere became tense again.

Just then, Lin Yi's weak voice came: "Since you recognize Blue Steel Shadow, you must have been in the void as well."

Shub turned to Lin Yi, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

“We can sign a contract notarized by the Void Tree.” Lin Yi barely managed to straighten up, catching his breath after each word. “This way, both parties will be protected.”

Shub pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.

The power of time and space was not necessary for her; she was forcibly pulled into the plan by the Dominator and Azathoth.

For the Dominator and Azathoth, the power of time and space is a great tonic; both of them need this thing to repair their damaged essence.

But for Shub, this thing was at most a rare material, and there was no need to risk her life for it.

Laurent hesitated, but after seeing the glint in Lin Yi's eyes, he seemed to understand something and silently stepped aside.

Gus was still struggling on the ground, making muffled protests, but no one paid him any attention.

Dawn lay prostrate on the ground like a dead silence, offering no response to this life-or-death negotiation.

Lin Yi closed his eyes and communicated with the Tree of Emptiness through his thoughts.

A moment later, a contract shimmering with golden light condensed in mid-air.

Contract Details:
The temporary team members participating in the battle against Azathoth, the source of darkness (specific list: Su Xiao, Lin Yi, Laurent, Gus, Dawn, Shub Nicholas) are prohibited from being hostile to each other, and this rule is valid until they leave this world.

Shub Nicholas must return all the stolen spacetime power and immediately release the hunter Xia.

In return, Su Xiao, Lin Yi, and other relevant parties must not prevent Shub from obtaining the divine body left behind by Azathoth.

Upon the entry into force of this agreement, all parties shall immediately cease any form of hostile conduct.

Notary: The Void Tree.

Penalty for breach of contract: Annihilation of the soul.

Shub stared at the golden contract floating in mid-air, her eyes narrowing slightly.

She could feel the immense pressure emanating from the Void Tree; the power of the rules contained within this contract made even this ancient god feel a chill.

Shub's fingertips traced through the air as she carefully examined each name, confirming that there were no hidden clauses.

Lin Yi leaned against a broken stone pillar, his face pale, but his tone was much firmer: "You should be able to trust the notarization of the Void Tree."

Shub smiled and said, "Of course I trust you. That's why I need to take a closer look."

"What? Worried I'll tamper with the list?" Lin Yi chuckled, aggravating his injury and causing him to cough.

"Before the Void Tree, no word games are meaningful."

Shub did not answer; a wisp of dark energy emanated from her fingertips as she gently touched each name on the contract.

"Looks like I'm overthinking it."

After confirming, Shub finally nodded and raised her hand to draw an ancient rune in the air.

A dark mark flew from her fingertip and slowly disappeared into the contract.

As soon as both parties confirmed the agreement, the contract shone brightly with golden light, transforming into six streams of light that entered the bodies of the six people present.

An invisible binding force descended upon the depths of everyone's soul; it was a power of rules that even the ancient gods could not defy.

The moment the contract was established, an anomaly occurred.

"Click——"

The space shattered like glass, and a pitch-black rift tore open in front of everyone.

What surged from the rift was not a chaotic void, but a dense, impenetrable dark energy, mixed with countless painful howls and shrieks.

"This is..." Laurent took a half step back warily, magic runes flowing across his body.

Shub calmly explained, “My treasure room. Now that the contract is in place, I will naturally fulfill my promise.”

She took out a crystal that shimmered with a faint light from the crack, and it seemed as if countless stars were flowing inside the crystal.

As she moved, 3850 ounces of spacetime power transformed into a silver torrent, surging into Su Xiao's body.

The Hunters have successfully reclaimed 3850 ounces of temporal power.

You have temporarily acquired 5 Sealed Boxes (currently sealed).

A notification from the Paradise of Reincarnation echoed in Su Xiao's mind.

At the same time, movement came from the crack again.

A petite figure fell from the darkness and crashed heavily onto the gravel ground.

That was Xia. She was curled up, her hands bound by chains formed of dark energy, and a writhing black substance stuffed in her mouth. When she saw the light outside, her eyes first widened in confusion, then filled with disbelief.

Su Xiao strode forward, and with a light swipe of his Dragon Slayer Flash, the dark chains snapped.

He carefully removed the black substance from Xia's mouth; it turned into black smoke and disappeared as soon as it left her lips.

"Hey, wake up." Su Xiao squatted down and gently patted Xia's cheek.

Xia's pupils gradually focused, and when she saw that the person in front of her was Su Xiao, tears welled up instantly. She reached out her hand tremblingly and carefully touched Su Xiao's arm, as if to confirm that this was not yet another cruel dream.

"Am I still dreaming?" Her voice was hoarse, trembling with tears. "Every time I dream that you come to save me, I wake up to find it's a hallucination."

Baha landed from the sky and gently patted her head with his wing: "This time it's for real. Look over there, who else is there?"

Xia looked in the direction Baha pointed, and when her gaze fell on Lin Yi, she froze.

She stood up, but stumbled due to weakness, and Su Xiao caught her in time.

"It really is you!" Xia finally believed this wasn't a dream. She gripped Su Xiao's clothes tightly, tears streaming down her face. "I knew you would come to save me."

But just then, she caught a glimpse of Shub standing not far away, and her body immediately let out a scream. She shrank behind Su Xiao and clung tightly to his clothes.

"Don't let her near me," Xia's voice was filled with fear.

Lin Yi looked at Shub helplessly: "What did you do to her?"

Shub answered calmly, her voice devoid of any emotion: "I didn't do anything. I just happen to reveal my true form in the treasure room. She just happened to see it."

Shub's original form wasn't nearly as beautiful as she is now.

Don't forget what Shub's familiar, the black goat cub, looks like. Shub's true form can be described as a black goat cub magnified many times over.

"Alright, we're safe now." Su Xiao patted Xia's shoulder, trying to calm her down.

However, at that very moment, Lin Yi, Su Xiao, and Laurent all took a few steps back in unison. This subtle movement went unnoticed by Shub, who was focused on sensing the alluring aura emanating from the remains of Azathoth.

“The contract has been fulfilled, and now it’s my turn to collect my reward,” Shub said, walking toward the divine body of Azathoth.

Her eyes gleamed with greed; this divine body, originating from the primordial beginning, was priceless to her.

But just as she passed by the grieving woman, something unexpected happened.

"Zheng——"

A sword light flashed without warning, heading straight for Shub's face.

The sword had already reached its target when it flashed, and the golden light flowing across its blade seemed capable of purifying all the filth in the world.

The one who drew the sword was the "Sorrowful Woman" who had been overlooked.

No, at this moment, she should perhaps be called—"Nia, the Avenger".

What she held in her hand was no longer the "Crescent Moon" that symbolized protection, but a golden lightsaber formed from condensed energy, its shape exactly the same as the "Crescent Moon".

Shub was filled with shock and rage. She retreated rapidly while letting out a piercing scream: "You have broken the contract!"

She unleashed the power of the ancient god with all her might, and the shadows of the entire Eisenra converged upon her, forming layers of black barriers.

The rubble on the ground floated into the air, forming shields under the pull of dark energy.

However, in the face of that golden sword light, these defenses melted away as quickly as ice and snow under the sun.

“The contract only bound the members of the temporary team,” Lin Yi replied calmly, his voice weak but exceptionally clear. “She never agreed to join that temporary team.”

Shub recalled the details of the contract terms—the Sorrowful Woman was not on the list!
She didn't even notice this carefully designed loophole when signing the contract.

"Nia—!" Shub roared in despair, as countless tentacles burst forth from the void, attempting to block this fatal blow.

Each of these tentacles is covered with a hard keratin layer, enough to withstand most attacks.

But it's too late.

This sword strike, embodying half of Nia's heart and all her will, is a testament to the sorrowful woman who has accumulated hatred and despair over a thousand years.

Where the sword light passed, space was torn apart, leaving behind a golden afterimage; even time seemed to freeze before this single strike.

A well-intentioned but unprepared strategy, coupled with a hasty response, meant the outcome was predetermined from the start!
"Sizzle—!"

When the golden sword light made contact with the outermost barrier, there was no earth-shattering explosion, only a soft sound like a hot knife cutting through butter.

The dark barrier, which was strong enough to withstand Laurent's powerful punches, melted away like ice and snow under the sun in the face of the sword light.

The sword light was unstoppable, breaking through one layer, two layers, ten layers... the barriers shattered one after another!
Countless wildly dancing tentacles coiled around it, attempting to overwhelm it with sheer numbers, but wherever the sword light passed, the tentacles snapped and turned to ashes.

The golden light flowing from the sword spread rapidly along the tentacles toward Shub's body, and wherever it passed, the power of the ancient god was completely extinguished.

"Pay the price for my past." The sorrowful woman—or rather, the one who had merged with Nia's will—had no emotional fluctuations in her eyes, no joy of victory, and no satisfaction of revenge, only the sorrow that had been accumulated for thousands of years, and the relief of finally being freed.

Shub finally realized that from the very beginning, this was a carefully woven trap aimed at her.

Lin Yi and the others never intended to let her go; they simply needed to deal with the greater threat of Azathoth first, and then use the contract to restrict her movements, creating an opportunity for the Sorrowful Daughter to kill her.

The contract only bound the "temporary team members," and from beginning to end, the Sorrowful Woman never agreed to join that team, so her name was naturally not on the list.

This seemingly insignificant loophole in the text, under the notarization of the Void Tree, became a deadly weapon that she could not overcome, but that the other party could perfectly exploit.

Shub's curse, "You despicable people!" was interrupted by the flash of the sword.

The golden sword light collided with the power of the ancient god, and the resulting shockwave leveled the surrounding ruins once again.

Laurent shielded the weakened Lin Yi, while Su Xiao also stood in front of Xia, holding the Dragon Slayer Sword horizontally in front of his chest to deflect the aftershocks of the attack.

As the light faded, Shub knelt on one knee, a golden longsword piercing her chest.

Golden energy spread around the wound like a living thing, preventing her regeneration.

Divine blood dripped down the sword, each drop corroding deep pits in the ground.

"Impossible, how could this be?" Shub stared incredulously at the sword's edge against her chest, her voice filled with shock and resentment.

Without Azathoth's interference, the fully-formed Sorrowful Daughter's strength far exceeded her expectations.

The sorrowful woman withdrew her longsword, and the divine blood dripping from its tip evaporated completely in the air.

She looked down at Shub, her eyes showing no joy of victory, only a bottomless sadness and a sense of relief.

"This sword is for all the lives you have devoured, for Nia, and for myself."

After saying this, Shub's head was severed by the Sorrowful Woman's sword.

The ancient black goat goddess, Shub-Niggurath, perished here.

The Hunter-assisted kill of Black Goat Shub.

[Gained 17.3% of the World's Source.]

You have obtained 325 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. Mother of the White Goat (Healing Staff, Holy Spirit Rank)

Price: 415 Soul Coins

……

3. Split & Spread (Catastrophic item; if the world's technology is underdeveloped, using this item will trigger a severe chain reaction.)
Note: The hunter has not shown any intention or behavior to destroy any world. The hunter should use this item with caution. This item is unique to the Ancient God Black Goat Shub.

Price: 307 Soul Coins

……

This time, the notification only rang in Lin Yi's ears. Su Xiao was unable to attack Shub due to the restrictions of the contract, but that did not mean that Lin Yi had no way to bypass the contract.

Before signing the contract, Lin Yi had already given Sorrowful Daughter a full buff. Otherwise, do you really think Sorrowful Daughter could kill Black Goat Shub with a single sword strike?

Lin Yi had given all of his stockpile of [Radiant Gold Potions] to the Daughter of Sorrow. With this calculated move, if the Daughter of Sorrow couldn't defeat Shab, then neither Lin Yi nor Su Xiao would be able to do anything. (End of Chapter)