Chapter 260: My Blade Is Coated in Poison

Huang Xingming might not know what these were, but Susi, being a fellow Witch, couldn't possibly be oblivious.

After all, the basic reading material distributed internally by the Supreme Council to them Witches contained foundational knowledge regarding golems.

Because she had been tossed out by Lan Qingyou earlier, she was completely in the dark about everything that had just transpired.

However, the moment she was thrown far enough to regain control of her body, she instantly sprinted back, arriving just in time to witness Lan Qingyou exposing the man's deepest secrets.

Truth be told, her understanding of things like golems was strictly theoretical.

The sheer volume of knowledge required for golemology was staggering. Given her current proficiency in Potions and Alchemy, much of it was still well beyond her reach.

So, when she saw Lan Qingyou suddenly unleash about twenty golems, she was genuinely stunned.

Of course, her shock only lasted for a fleeting second.

As someone who dedicated herself to researching poisons and antidotes, golem mechanics were nothing more than peripheral knowledge.

There was no other reason for it.

It was mainly her sharp intuition as a Witch whispering that this little phrase had to be deeply connected to Alchemy.

Crack!

Just as Susi's imagination ran wild, a crisp snap from Lan Qingyou's direction seized her complete attention.

At that moment, an irregular, vibrant green crystal materialized in Lan Qingyou's hand—the very hand that was still gripping Huang Wei's skull. As for Huang Wei himself, his entire body slumped over, drool seeping from the corner of his mouth, his fate unknown.

'Could this thing... be the final product of Huang Wei's Soul Materialization?'

Seeing a Soul Crystal for the very first time, Susi narrowed her eyes and frowned, meticulously scrutinizing the gem in Lan Qingyou's grasp.

Meanwhile, Lan Qingyou was also a bit bewildered.

This was her first time laying eyes on the object, too.

More importantly, it was her first time extracting a Soul Crystal from the body of a Blue Star Earthling.

Compared to the pale and faint Soul Crystals she was used to, describing this particular gem as "bewitching" would not be an exaggeration.

'This is bad!'

While the two women were distracted by the crystal, Huang Xingming was already drenched in a cold sweat.

Staring at Huang Wei's unmoving form on the ground, Huang Xingming knew perfectly well that his son was dead. Yet, he felt absolutely none of the anger or despair a father should feel over losing a child.

Instead, his mind raced with thoughts of escape.

Lan Qingyou's casual display of power was her unmistakable way of declaring, "I have the means and the strength to butcher you."

Because of that, Huang Xingming had no other thoughts right now.

Although the loss of his only heir left a complicated knot in his chest, this was no time for sentiment.

As long as he survived, the Huang family lineage could be rebuilt.

Having made up his mind, Huang Xingming didn't spare another second mourning his foolish son who failed to become a "Deity." He turned on his heel and bolted.

Relying on his newly enhanced Agility and mobility, he bounded dozens of meters away in just a few strides.

Naturally, Huang Xingming knew he couldn't outrun Lan Qingyou, who could fly. To counter this, he constantly weaved in erratic, serpentine patterns as he ran, desperate to prevent her from suddenly teleporting and skewering him like she did to his son.

However, he never could have imagined that right after feeling incredibly smug about his evasive footwork, his absolute worst nightmare would manifest.

Squelch!

"Urgh..."

The instant he abruptly shifted directions, two long blades violently impaled his chest.

"You might not believe this, but you actually ran right into my blades yourself."

Staring at Lan Qingyou, who was gazing back at him with large, watery, innocent eyes, Huang Xingming had a certain retort brewing in his mind that he didn't know whether to scream out loud.

'I ran into them myself?!'

'How do you even have the shameless nerve to say something like that?!'

'No, wait! Just how in the world did you predict my exact escape route?!'

Gritting his teeth, Huang Xingming's fury flared with every passing second. Completely ignoring the gaping wounds in his chest, he took a swift step back while simultaneously swinging a vicious knife-hand strike aimed at knocking Lan Qingyou out.

He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he couldn't kill her anymore.

Since that was the case, rendering her unconscious was his best play. If he managed that, only the poison-specialist Witch would be left to pursue him.

And given a Witch's typical Agility and mobility, expecting her to catch up to him was nothing more than a fool's dream.

However, just as his strike was about to connect with Lan Qingyou, a sudden, weightless sensation washed over his entire body. As his Strength evaporated into thin air, he couldn't even feel the burden of his own physical mass anymore.

'Is this what flying feels like?'

Hoisted high into the air by Lan Qingyou's blades, Huang Xingming stared blankly down at the playfully grinning woman below.

"Oh, right. My blade happens to be slathered in poison—a nasty toxin that induces total muscle paralysis. How is it? Do you feel significantly lighter?"

'To deal with me, she didn't just use teleportation, she even poisoned her weapons. Should I be thanking her for thinking so highly of me, or cursing my luck for getting tangled up with such a meticulously calculating freak?'

'I knew it. If I had just spent a bit more cash to wipe this little mongrel out back then, none of this nightmare would be happening.'

Squelch!

Squelch! Squelch!

While Huang Xingming stewed in his regrets, the long blades in Lan Qingyou's hands never ceased their brutal work.

They relentlessly plunged in and out, suspended mid-air.

After about a dozen vicious strikes, when his Health Points had plummeted to roughly one percent, Lan Qingyou activated Soul Siphon.

Huang Xingming only felt his vision go completely black before he plunged into an eternal, suffocating darkness.

'After Soul Materialization, does the original soul still retain its self-awareness?'

Wasn't that the exact question Lan Qingyou had asked earlier?

Now he finally had the answer. Unfortunately, he would never be able to tell her in this lifetime. But then again, that hardly mattered anymore.

"Phew... It's finally settled."

Having slaughtered everyone present, Lan Qingyou felt an immense weight lift off her shoulders.

Although she was somewhat frail from the earlier blood loss, a health Potion combined with blood-replenishing pills barely stabilized her condition enough to keep her on her feet.

Breathing a long sigh of relief, Lan Qingyou cast her gaze down at Huang Xingming, who was now nothing but an empty husk on the ground.

Huang Wei and Huang Xingming—the two scumbags who had rammed into her and left her disabled—were officially dead.

She was naturally ecstatic, taking immense satisfaction in the fact that she had even imprisoned their very souls.

But a brand new problem swiftly arose.

The evolutionary trajectory of this Lesser Demon Clan felt eerily familiar to her.

...It was just like the Shadow Demons she had encountered before.

Yes, exactly like the Shadow Demons.

The most glaring difference between the two was likely that the Shadow Demons had completely smooth faces, utterly devoid of any facial features.

Meanwhile, this clan at least possessed mouths.

'Wait a minute. Does this mean Huang Xingming was also slowly mutating into a Monster?'

Struck by this thought, Lan Qingyou immediately took her long blade and began rummaging through Huang Xingming's empty husk.

And what do you know!

Barely a moment later, she actually uncovered an E-rank Monster Crystal Core about the size of a fingernail!