Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

This corridor is unusually long.

The walls were made of dark black wood that seemed to absorb light, the ceiling was a towering vaulted ceiling that disappeared into the darkness, and the floor was a smooth but equally dark wooden floor.

The air was always filled with a mixture of old wood, dust, and some indescribable smell, as if this passage had existed for countless years and witnessed countless passersby.

With the speed at which the Dragon-Hunting Spider's eight long legs move in alternating motion, even an ordinary person running would find it difficult to keep up. Although Su Xiao and the others were walking, as sixth-tier powerhouses, their normal walking speed far exceeded that of ordinary creatures.

In the outside world, a distance of several kilometers would only take a few minutes for them.

But here, they walked for almost half an hour.

The corridor was not straight; it had slight curves at times and inconspicuous forks in the road at others. But the Dragonslayer Spider always followed what seemed to be the main path without the slightest hesitation.

It carried Lin Yi on its back, its steps incredibly steady, as if it were carrying not a person, but a feather.

The four people following behind had different expressions.

Mond's impatience was almost palpable. He tried several times to quicken his pace to close the distance, but whenever he got a little closer, the spider's rearmost leg would lift slightly, its tip touching the ground, making a clear clicking sound, like a warning.

Mondl had no choice but to slow down, muttering something silently to himself.

Dylan walked slightly to the side, her red eyes occasionally sweeping across the walls on both sides of the corridor and the darkness above her head. A very faint elemental fluctuation flashed across her fingertips, as if she was probing something, but she quickly concealed it.

In this corridor governed by the rules of the House of Death, any unnecessary movement could trigger unpredictable reactions.

Shangyue was the quietest. Her black wings were completely folded, her steps were light and silent, and her silver eyes calmly watched the backs of the Dragon Hunter Spider and Lin Yi in front of her.

Su Xiao walked at the back, his steps were the most casual, and he even seemed a little careless, but if you looked closely, you would find that his gaze never lingered in the same place for more than a second.

Time loses its meaning in this seemingly endless corridor.

Finally, after turning a bend with a much wider arc than before, the view ahead changed.

At the end of the corridor appeared a huge double golden door.

The gate is over five meters tall and is made entirely of a golden metal with a soft luster, with intricate patterns carved on its surface.

The door was perfectly sealed, with no handle or keyhole, only two symmetrical circular marks in the center.

The dragon-hunting spider stopped in front of the door, its massive body almost blocking most of the corridor entrance.

It lowered its body slightly so that Lin Yi could easily jump off its back.

Lin Yi touched the fur on its back with his toes and landed without making a sound.

The Dragon Spider then raised its two foremost claws, the tips of which precisely pressed against the two circular indentations in the center of the golden gate.

The two heavy golden doors slid open silently the instant the armored feet touched, revealing the scene behind them.

A warm, bright breeze, carrying a hint of food and alcohol, wafted out, contrasting sharply with the cold, stale atmosphere of the corridor.

Behind the door was an extremely spacious and magnificent banquet hall.

The area is estimated to be over a thousand square meters, with the floor paved with smooth, mirror-like dark marble and inlaid with golden patterns along the edges.

Several enormous crystal chandeliers hung from the high dome, each burning with a steady light provided by some unknown energy source, whether magic or something else, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day.

Huge oil paintings and tapestries hang on the walls, mostly depicting banquets, hunting, or mythological scenes, with vibrant colors and delicate brushstrokes.

In the center of the hall was a huge round banquet table.

The tabletop is made from a single piece of milky-white jade, with exquisite patterns carved along the edges.

The table was empty at that moment. There were no cutlery, no food, and no drinks. Only the smooth jade surface reflected the lights from the dome, making it appear both luxurious and empty.

There were no chairs placed around the banquet table.

However, some sofas, low tables, and decorative potted plants were scattered around the walls of the hall, their style somewhat out of place with the overall luxury, and they seemed to have been added later.

The dragon-hunting spider did not go inside.

After pushing open the door, it retracted its armored legs, its massive body slightly turned to the side, completely clearing the entrance, and then quietly lay in the shadows of the corridor outside the door, its eight compound eyes gazing intently at the banquet hall inside and the other people outside.

Lin Yi took the lead and walked into the banquet hall.

The warm light fell on him, dispelling the chill of the corridor.

Instead of heading towards the conspicuous empty banquet table in the center, he went straight to a rather comfortable-looking deep red velvet sofa against the right wall, sat down, and relaxed, as if he were really just a guest attending a dinner party.

After he sat down, he looked up at the doorway.

The Dragon-Hunting Spider remained guarding outside the Golden Gate, but its attention was no longer on Lin Yi.

All eight compound eyes were now locked onto Su Xiao, Mond, Shang Yue, and Di Lin, who were still standing in the corridor.

Being stared at so openly by such a ferocious beast sent a chill down their spines, even for these men with their strong will.

The docile dependence he had shown when facing Lin Yi was gone from his gaze; it was now filled with the scrutiny of a predator and a hint of impatience.

It's as if to say: The work of leading the way is over, it's snack time.

Mond was being watched the longest and was the most uncomfortable.

He was straightforward by nature, and being "stared at" like that made him furious.

"What are you looking at!" he shouted in a low voice, but didn't dare to make any big movements.

The dragon-hunting spider let out an extremely low gurgling sound, like a cold laugh.

Mondl took a deep breath, his gaze passing over the dragon-hunting spiders to Lin Yi, who was sitting leisurely on the sofa in the banquet hall. On a whim, he lifted his foot to walk in, muttering, "The healer is still inside, how dare you, you big bug..."

His words came to an abrupt end.

Because the dragon spider moved.

This was not the kind of warning gesture we'd seen before, but a real attack.

A spider leg covered in blackish-gray bristles suddenly shot out!
"Pfft!"

The dull thud of a sharp weapon piercing flesh.

Mondl couldn’t even make an effective dodge – the two were too close, and the Dragon Spider’s attack was too fast and too sudden.

He only had time to turn slightly to the side before the sharp claw pierced his right abdomen, with a small section of the tip protruding from his back, bringing with it a spray of warm blood.

The intense pain and impact caused Mond's massive body to stiffen abruptly, his expression freezing in shock.

The Dragon Spider struck successfully and did not pause for a moment.

The piercing armored foot suddenly jerked upwards, lifting Mondl off the ground and then flinging him like trash toward the area behind the Golden Gate that appeared to be a solid wall!
"boom!"

Mond's body crashed into the wall, but strangely, the wall rippled like water the moment of contact, forming a swirling vortex that swallowed Mond whole.

The vortex vanished, the wall returned to its original state, leaving not a trace of blood, only a faint smell of blood lingering in the air as proof of what had just happened.

The entire process, from the attack to Mondstadt's disappearance, took only two seconds.

The corridor was deathly silent.

Shangyue and Dilin took a step back almost simultaneously, their muscles tensing and energy rapidly circulating within them, entering a state of maximum alert.

Their eyes were filled with apprehension as they looked at the Dragon Hunter Spider.

Su Xiao did not back down.

He even took half a step forward, blocking Shangyue's path slightly in front of him.

After the Dragonstalker finished off Mondstadt with a single blow, it did not continue its attack.

It retracted its blood-stained claws, casually wiped them on the floor to remove the bloodstains, and then continued to "watch" the remaining three people with its eight compound eyes. It made that impatient gurgling sound in its throat again, and lightly tapped the ground with its forelimbs, tap, tap, tap.

It's like urging someone on, or like waiting for something.

Shangyue's silver eyes flashed rapidly as she quickly scanned the Dragon Hunter Spider's entire body, finally settling on its armored legs that supported its body.

She hadn't seen clearly when she was trapped in the spider web before because it was too close and the light was dim. But now, under the light shining from the banquet hall, she noticed that there seemed to be extremely fine symbols engraved at the joints of each of the dragon spider's legs, near its torso.

It's not decoration, it's more like... text?
She strained her eyes and could barely make out the outlines of two of the symbols—they seemed to be some ancient Void Common language variant, one resembling "life" and the other "death."

life and death?

The words on the armrest of the metal chairs where everyone sat when they entered the Death House, "No regrets in life, no hatred in death," and the circular mark flashed through Shang Yue's mind.

Handrail...marks...inscriptions on toenails...guiding...attack...

Fragmented information rapidly pieced together in her mind. Could the conditions here be related to that mark and these words? Was some kind of "price" required to "pass"?
But what will be the cost? And how will it be paid?
Just then, she saw Su Xiao standing in front of her and made a move.

Su Xiao's left hand had been hanging at his side. At this moment, he naturally raised his left hand to his waist and quickly traced a few lines in the air with his fingers.

His movements were very subtle, and the trajectory of his fingers was even more concealed. If Shang Yue hadn't been paying close attention to him and the Dragon Hunter Spider, it would have been almost impossible to detect.

That trajectory... is a circle.

A closed circle.

Then, she saw Su Xiao take something out of his storage space with his right hand—three thumb-sized, bright green fruits.

Su Xiao had already purchased the fruit through the mark while he was at the back of the group, but his actions were so subtle that no one else noticed.

The moment the fruit appeared, a refreshing scent filled the air, even dispelling some of the cold, musty smell in the corridor.

The dragon-hunting spider's eight compound eyes instantly focused on the three emerald green fruits!

The gurgling sound in its throat disappeared, its forelimbs that were pounding the ground stopped, its entire massive body leaned slightly forward, and even the tentacles beside its mouthparts trembled slightly, revealing an undisguised desire.

Su Xiao didn't say much. With a flick of his wrist, three emerald green fruits flew in an arc towards the Dragon Hunter Spider.

The dragon-hunting spider immediately raised its two forelimbs to catch the three fruits, and then eagerly put them into its mouth.

It was swallowed directly without chewing.

As the fruit entered its belly, its massive body seemed to tremble with pleasure, and a faint, pleasant glimmer appeared on its carapace.

After swallowing the fruit, the Dragon Spider let out a satisfied groan and moved its massive body a few steps to the side, completely clearing the way for the golden entrance to the banquet hall.

It even lowered its body slightly, as if to say: Please pass.

Su Xiao glanced at it, said nothing, and strode into the banquet hall.

When he passed by the Dragon Hunter Spider, the giant beast did not react at all, and even slightly avoided him, as if afraid of touching him.

Only after Su Xiao's figure disappeared into the golden gate did the Dragon Hunter Spider raise its head again, its compound eyes once more fixed on the remaining Shang Yue and Di Lin.

Shangyue already understood.

The price is life force, which is used to "purchase" this emerald green fruit through that circular mark. The fruit is the "toll" paid to the dragon-hunting spider.

Without further hesitation, she immediately took two steps back, leaned against the corridor wall, extended her right index finger, and gathered a tiny bit of energy at her fingertip, quickly carving on the wall.

The first time, the lines weren't round enough, and the mark didn't react.

The second time, the injected vitality seemed insufficient; the mark only lit up slightly before fading away.

The third time, she adjusted her breathing, recalling the essence of the mark on the metal armrest, and a perfect circle appeared on the wall.

At the same time, she clearly felt that about 30% of her life force was instantly drained away, bringing a noticeable sense of weakness.

The circular mark on the wall flashed with light and then disappeared.

At the same time, a bright green fruit, exactly the same as the one she had just seen, appeared out of thin air in her palm.

Become!

Shangyue breathed a sigh of relief, grasped the still-warm fruit, and walked towards the Dragon Hunter Spider.

The dragon spider looked at the fruit in her palm, its compound eyes darted around, then it looked at her again, letting out a low growl that was hard to decipher, seemingly dissatisfied with having only one fruit. But in the end, it extended the tip of one of its forelegs, gesturing for her to place the fruit on it.

Shangyue did as instructed.

The dragon spider rolled the fruit back into its mouthparts and swallowed it, clearing the way again.

Shangyue dared not linger and immediately strode into the banquet hall.

Now, only Dillian remains in the corridor.

The female mage of Arcane Eternal Star looked quite pale.

She wasn't unaware of Su Xiao and Shang Yue's subtle actions, but the way they obtained the fruit was extremely secretive and swift. Under the pressure of the Dragon-Hunting Spider's watchful gaze, she couldn't fully grasp the key to their actions immediately.

She only saw Su Xiao take out the fruit before the Dragon Hunter Spider made way.

Shangyue also presented her fruit and passed the test.

The fruit is key! That's obvious.

But where does the fruit come from?
Time passed second by second.

The dragon-hunting spider's patience seems to be rapidly fading.

It began to tap the ground more frequently with its forelimbs, the sounds growing louder and louder, and the cold light in its compound eyes grew stronger.

Dillian broke out in a cold sweat.

She desperately tried to recall every detail after entering the house of death.

Seat? Armrest? Mark? Su Xiao's last subtle movement? Shang Yue seemed to have drawn something on the wall?
She suddenly remembered that there was indeed a circular mark on the original metal chair armrest! Could it be...?

She hurriedly tried to carve on the wall as well, but her control of her movements was far less precise than Shangyue's, and the marks she drew were crooked and unresponsive.

She tried several times, but either the shape was wrong or she couldn't trigger the extraction of that life force.

"Damn it! What the hell..." Dilling couldn't help but curse under her breath, her tone filled with anxiety and anger.

Just as she failed her third attempt, and her mental energy began to waver due to impatience—

The dragon-hunting spider moved.

It still has that same foot!
Although Dylan was on guard and immediately erected a fire shield, the shield was easily pierced by the dragon-hunting spider's armored legs like paper.

"puff!"

The claw pierced her left shoulder blade, pinning her to the wall!
"Ah—!" The excruciating pain caused Dillian to let out a short scream.

Without pausing, the Dragonstalker flicked its armored legs, throwing her towards the same area of ​​wall where Mondstadt had just disappeared.

The dark vortex reappeared, swallowing Dylin's angry curses and figure, before returning to calm.

The corridor finally fell completely quiet.

The Dragon-Hunting Spider looked towards the banquet hall inside the golden gate. When its gaze swept over Lin Yi, who was sitting on the sofa, its fierce aura instantly subsided, even taking on a hint of ingratiation. Its massive body cautiously hovered at the doorway, seemingly wanting to go in but not daring to.

In the banquet hall.

Su Xiao had already walked to the round table in the center of the banquet hall, and was scrutinizing the huge empty table and the surrounding environment with a critical eye.

Shangyue stood not far away, adjusting her breathing to recover from the weakness caused by the draining of her life force, while also warily surveying her surroundings.

Lin Yi withdrew his gaze and looked at the dragon-hunting spider peeking out from the doorway, saying, "Let it in."

As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the center of the banquet hall distorted slightly.

Anna, the Queen of Pain, appeared silently beside the huge round banquet table.

She was still wearing that long black dress, her face was pale, but she seemed to be in better condition than when she was in the small room.

Her appearance was sudden, but it didn't feel abrupt at all, as if she had always been standing there.

The moment Anna appeared, her gaze fell on the doorway.

Just as the Dragon Hunter Spider was about to take advantage of Lin Yi's words to squeeze in, it instantly met Anna's deep purple eyes.

Its massive body stiffened abruptly, all its movements halting, even the slightest hint of ingratiation vanishing, reverting to its initial awe-inspiring posture, obediently lying at the doorway, not daring to move, even swallowing back the gurgling sounds in its throat.

Anna merely glanced at it indifferently, offering neither reproach nor permission, before turning her gaze to the three people inside the banquet hall.

Her gaze first swept over Shang Yue, then lingered briefly on Su Xiao—especially the Dragon Slayer Sword at his waist, which was not yet fully sheathed—before finally landing on Lin Yi.

Upon seeing Lin Yi, a faint smile appeared on her pale face, and she nodded slightly.

At this moment, Lin Yi spoke again, his tone casual: "Let it in, it's boring to stand guard outside."

This was clearly said to Anna.

Anna glanced at Lin Yi, then at the Dragon Hunter Spider that had suddenly perked up its "ears" at the door, shook her head slightly with a hint of helplessness, and then waved towards the door.

Having received explicit permission, the Dragon Spider immediately let out a low growl that suppressed its excitement. Its eight legs moved quickly yet cautiously, as if afraid of breaking something with a large movement, and it swiftly crawled into the banquet hall.

Instead of darting around, it crawled straight to the sofa where Lin Yi was sitting, then obediently lay down, resting its ferocious head on the floor above the armrest. Its compound eyes were half-closed, looking content and ready to take a nap, a far cry from its earlier menacing demeanor in the hallway. (End of Chapter)