Chapter 52: Where Can I Unsubscribe?

"Will, you little rascal, it seems my care for you hasn't been in vain." With this timely reminder, Lin Xiao immediately knew what to do. He raised the Interstellar Destruction Battle Axe and brought it down hard on the pentagram array carved into the floor.

Bang!

The axe bounced back as the ground proved as hard as steel—there was no way to cut through it.

"Don't bother wasting your strength. This pentagram array was forged with great effort from a special alloy, with a hint of mithril mixed in. With your power and weapon, you can forget about damaging it in the slightest.

Since I can't kill you, I'll start by slaughtering your family, let you taste the agony of loss, then capture you for torment." The red-haired beauty leapt into the air, heading for the four people on the stairwell platform. Lin Xiao, standing below, was too late to stop her.

But he wasn't too worried—there was someone there protecting them.

Number Eleven raised the Budding Staff she had picked up earlier, aimed it at the golden-haired beauty, and instantly unleashed the Earthly Prison, trapping her motionless mid-air.

"Well done, Number Eleven. Keep it up. I’ll destroy the pentagram array," Lin Xiao shouted, his mind racing for a way to break the formation. Suddenly, inspiration struck.

"I told you, you can't break my formation. Stand still and accept death. Don't make pointless resistance. I’ll send your entire family to hell for a reunion," the red-haired beauty shrieked, her composure unraveling after being repeatedly outplayed, hatred boiling over.

"You were right about one thing—we are a family, and we will be reunited. But I am not resisting in vain," Lin Xiao replied with a faint smile. He lifted the Interstellar Destruction Battle Axe as magical energy surged through him, transforming into a unique lightning attribute. Dazzling white lightning coiled around the blade as he launched himself upward, activating the Sky Slash technique.

The lightning-clad axe cleaved into the formation with irresistible force, slicing open an arm's-length fissure in the floor.

"No! Impossible! How could you destroy my formation? No! Supreme Crimson Sovereign, Dark Bountiful Goddess, Forest Black Goat who bears a thousand children, save your—"

"Even your pleas for help are long-winded. I have to hand it to you," Lin Xiao interrupted. Before the words had faded, the lightning-wreathed axe descended, striking the red-haired beauty trapped in the Earthly Prison. Her form shattered once again into black smoke, but this time, it dissipated completely, never to coalesce.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for slaying the super witch undead of the Witches' Coven. Source Energy +100. You have once again altered the course of the plot; Plot Disruptor Mission +1. Reward: one ordinary Nine-Star Miniature Jar.]

[Ding! The system has extracted the undead witch's innate ability and converted it to a passive attribute: Mana Fountain.

Mana Fountain: Passive talent. Increases mana regeneration speed by 10%. When mana falls below 10% and health is above 50%, health above 50% can be converted into mana.]

Lin Xiao nodded slightly. This passive talent was quite useful. A 10% increase might not seem much, but it could prove miraculous in critical moments. Not to mention the health-to-mana conversion—an absolute godsend for sustained combat, essentially granting a large pool of virtual mana for turning the tide, almost like having an extra conversion skill.

This unexpected boon made him realize that slaying boss-level monsters could yield their abilities as passive traits—an incredible advantage. Imagine, laden with passives: attack stronger than the Blood Emperor, defense sturdier than the Holy Paladin. He could stand still and let monsters attack, and they’d never make a dent.

Curiously, the system hadn't assigned a level to this undead witch, though the source energy was generous—a single windfall of 100 points.

[Ding! Alert. Host, by slaying a follower of an extradimensional ancient god, you have attracted divine attention. Trust the system—this is no honor. Please proceed with caution.]

Lin Xiao, lost in dreams of glory, was jolted by the system's warning. He had always said not to show off—court disaster, and disaster obliges. Divine attention? Was there any way to cancel this 'follow'?

Regardless, he had no idea how to proceed. The Crimson Sovereign, the Dark Bountiful Goddess, the Forest Black Goat—just their names were terrifying. Even with a second awakening as the True Dragon Star Lord, he would hardly be their match.

A second awakening meant only a demigod's body, not true godhood. But these goddesses were ancient deities from another dimension—real gods, who could obliterate ten thousand of him with a flick.

“How foolish of me. They’re only watching; it’s not like anything will happen. At worst, I’ll just kneel and sing a surrender song—surely they’ll leave me a path to live?” Lin Xiao laughed wryly. When debts are too many to count, what’s one more? When the enemy is overwhelmingly powerful, resistance is pointless—best to wash up and sleep.

With the pentagram array destroyed and the undead witch defeated, a strange sensation swept over him. The lingering evil in the house vanished in an instant.

Lin Xiao hurried up to the stairwell platform and pressed his hand to Joyce’s forehead, casting Purification. Gentle energy streamed from her brow, and after a moment, she slowly opened her eyes.

"Will, Jonathan, Eleven, Jim, I’m sorry," Joyce whispered weakly, reaching out to touch each of their faces. While she had seemed unconscious under the red-haired beauty’s spell, she had actually been aware, fighting against the evil within and finally expelling it at their call.

"There’s nothing to apologize for, Mom. It wasn’t your fault, but that of the great evil—and that unscrupulous developer who sold a haunted house like this. Outrageous," Lin Xiao said indignantly.

Fortunately, it was them who moved in—ordinary people without supernatural powers would have perished, whole families wiped out.

"Take Joyce upstairs to rest. I’ll check the place again to make sure nothing’s been overlooked," he instructed.

Sheriff Hopper helped Joyce to her feet, and the others urged Lin Xiao to be careful as they headed upstairs.

Once they were gone, Lin Xiao gazed down at the empty hall and called out coldly, "Come out. You don’t want to be struck by lightning, do you?"

"Mercy! We don’t want to die!" Four ghostly figures drifted from the walls and hovered in the air before him.

Three were old acquaintances—the bathing blonde, the two lovers; the fourth was a little girl of eight or nine, likely the one who had snatched Number Eleven’s staff.

"I’ve slain the mastermind and purged the evil. Why haven’t you passed on?" Lin Xiao asked, puzzled. Earlier, focusing magical power in his eyes, he had detected a faint, unusual aura in the hall—not evil, but something akin to the undead, which turned out to be these four.

The blonde replied plaintively, "We wish to ascend to heaven, but we can’t find the way. This house is still bound by a mysterious force, trapping us here."

"What?" Lin Xiao was stunned. Another mysterious power shrouded the house, yet he couldn’t sense it. Was his magic not strong enough, or was it... the effect of that divine attention?

This complicated things. He had thought divine attention was nothing serious, but now it seemed to have real effects, at least on the house.

Still, if that deity truly wanted to deal with him, it wouldn’t stop at mere attention—a single blow would annihilate him for slaying a follower.

That meant, for now, he was safe. The real question was: should he move out?