Chapter 164: Help Me, Neuvillette
The old man let out a bizarre cackle—jie jie jie—a sound so sharp and grating that it made everyone's skin crawl.
"Very well. I won't let you die in ignorance. Allow me to enlighten you." He clasped his hands behind his back, his tone brimming with arrogance and mockery. "I am the Eighth Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, a Rank 91 Titled Douluo, titled 'Sleep Demon.' My martial soul is the Nightmare Demon. What I love most in life is feasting upon soul masters with powerful spiritual power. You little whelps, so young—your soul power is one thing, but your spiritual power... tsk tsk, it is truly not weak!"
His gaze swept across the group before finally settling on Huo Yuhao once more, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
"And you—" He pointed a finger at Huo Yuhao, the corner of his mouth curling into an eerie smile. "You carry the scent of death upon you. Although you don't appear to be an evil soul master yet, this elder knows that your condition makes you a natural-born candidate to become one. More than qualified to serve as the Holy Son of our Holy Spirit Cult!"
Huo Yuhao's heart tightened.
This man could actually detect his practice of Electrolux's necromancy? Was this the terrifying power of a Titled Douluo-level evil soul master? Compared to the four-ring evil soul master he and Furina had encountered in that village, this person before him was an entity of terror from an entirely different dimension.
Within his spiritual sea, Electrolux let out a cold snort, his voice dripping with disdain. "Do not lump my necromancy together with their heretical and depraved arts. Even during the most evil period of my life, I was far more human than this scum."
Tianmeng was pacing frantically. "What do we do, what do we do? Looks like we've run into big trouble! Should we make a move? But the opponent is a Titled Douluo! Bingbing and I have both lost our bodies, and little Yuhao's constitution is still too weak—he can't even unleash the Ice Emperor's true strength!"
The Ice Emperor was far calmer. "What are you panicking for? Don't you see that Furina girl is still so composed? She must have a contingency plan."
"Even if the Furina girl is unable to act," Electrolux stroked his beard, his tone unhurried and confident, "this old man now possesses enough power to put this man to death. You must understand, my necromancy is, by its very nature, the bane of these heretical paths. And should necromancy fail, I also happen to know holy magic."
Tianmeng couldn't help but grumble. "Elder Yi, aren't you proficient in too many things? Necromancy and holy magic—those two are fundamentally incompatible! This is far too exaggerated!"
Electrolux replied calmly, "Incompatible? In this old man's view, they are not. Of course, that may also be a matter of talent. If Huo Yuhao did not lack the ultimate light attribute, I might very well have passed on the holy magic to him as well."
"Alright, alright! With your word, Elder Yi, we can rest easy!" Tianmeng produced a pillow from who-knew-where, tucked it under his head, and prepared to lie back and enjoy the show.
The Ice Emperor grabbed him by the ear. "Get lost! Don't you dare let your guard down on my watch!"
"Yes, yes! As you command! As you command! Bingbing, let go, it hurts, it hurts—"
"Scram! Don't call me Bingbing!"
...
Outside the spiritual sea, the Sleep Demon Douluo was still basking in his own pressure and sense of absolute control, utterly oblivious to the fact that, in the eyes of certain existences, he had already become a laughable clown.
"Come. Join my Holy Spirit Cult." He extended a hand toward Huo Yuhao, his voice carrying an unquestionable certainty. "With your talent—"
"That does sound quite appealing..."
Huo Yuhao spoke.
He lifted his head, meeting the gaze of this Rank 91 Titled Douluo without a trace of fear in his eyes. Then, he slowly raised a single middle finger.
"But—I refuse!"
"What I like most is saying 'no' to people who think too highly of themselves!"
The Sleep Demon Douluo paused for a moment, then actually burst out laughing.
"Young man, you are very interesting, very bold." Rather than growing angry, he sized up Huo Yuhao with renewed interest. "To speak such words in the face of this elder, a Titled Douluo and an evil soul master—not bad, not bad at all. This elder likes you."
He paused, his smile gradually turning sinister and cold.
"However... becoming the Holy Son of my Holy Spirit Cult is not a matter of your willingness."
Everyone's hearts clenched, and they instinctively looked toward Furina.
Just at that moment, Furina gave two soft coughs, as if clearing her throat.
The Sleep Demon Douluo's gaze immediately shifted to her. He remembered with crystal clarity that it was this very young girl who had just revealed that monstrous set of soul rings—a Soul King with a heaven-defying ratio.
This child is terrifying beyond measure; she must be eliminated as soon as possible.
Otherwise, in the future, she would surely become a grave threat to the Holy Spirit Cult.
Furina drew a deep breath, and then—
"Help me, Monsieur Neuvillette!"
She shouted at the top of her lungs.
The group was momentarily stunned.
The Sleep Demon Douluo was briefly taken aback, then threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Ha ha ha! This elder was wondering what you were going to do, and this is it?!"
He laughed so hard he nearly doubled over, tears almost forming in his eyes. "It's useless! I sealed off the surroundings long ago. Let alone outsiders, even that Soul Sage who went inside just now cannot hear a single cry for help from you! You—"
His words stopped abruptly.
Because a man had appeared out of thin air before Furina.
Long white hair cascaded down like a waterfall. A formal suit, predominantly deep blue, accentuated an aura of solemn majesty and authority. He still held a document and a quill pen in his hands, as though he had been in the middle of handling official business.
Neuvillette.
The Sleep Demon Douluo's smile froze on his face, his pupils suddenly contracting.
What was happening?!
A single call for help, and a person materializes out of nowhere? And he bypassed my barrier?! Who in the world... is this man?!
Neuvillette looked at Furina with a puzzled expression. "Lady Furina, what is the matter? I am still handling official business."
Furina smiled sweetly and, without the slightest hesitation, darted behind him for cover. At the same time, she beckoned to Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao, motioning for them to do the same.
"Of course there's a matter!" She pointed at the Sleep Demon Douluo opposite them, her tone as casual as if she were ordering from a menu. "Quick, beat this old geezer into a cripple—but don't actually cripple him permanently. Just make sure he can't fight for a long time. He's nothing good anyway, so just hit him however you like."
Hearing this, Neuvillette turned his head and fixed his gaze upon the Sleep Demon Douluo.
With just a single glance, he perceived the nauseatingly dense aura of evil permeating the man. It was malice, twistedness, and depravity in its purest form. Even the fanatics of the Abyss Order paled in comparison to the purity of evil before him.
"Understood."
As his voice fell, the aura around Neuvillette began to skyrocket.
Titled Douluo! Hyper Douluo! Limit Douluo!
The Sleep Demon Douluo's face instantly drained of all color.
Limit Douluo!
He knew he had kicked an iron plate! No, this was no iron plate—this was a solid wall of steel! What did a Limit Douluo represent? They were the absolute pinnacle of existence on the entire continent! Even a Hyper Douluo would be enough to make him flee in utter disarray, let alone a Limit Douluo?!
Flee!
He had to flee!
But before a Limit Douluo, simply turning around and running was suicide. He had to buy time!
"Seventh Soul Skill—Martial Soul True Body: Nightmare Demon!"
"Ninth Soul Skill—Nightmare Hell!"
He poured out all his strength, instantly unleashing his two most powerful soul skills. A sky-engulfing wave of darkness and nightmare power surged toward Neuvillette, attempting to drag him into an abyss of endless slumber.
"Even if the High Priest himself were here, struck by this attack, he'd still be forced into a five-second slumber!" The Sleep Demon Douluo thought viciously. "You are no exception!"
He didn't expect this strike to defeat Neuvillette; he only sought to buy those five seconds.
Five seconds—that was enough time to grab one or two hostages!
With hostages in hand, everything would be manageable!
His gaze locked onto Furina and Huo Yuhao. His form exploded into motion, lunging toward them—
However, before he could even pass Neuvillette's side, a current of water coiled around his body like a living thing and violently yanked him back.
"What?!"
The Sleep Demon Douluo stared in wide-eyed, incredulous horror, turning his head back.
Neuvillette stood in place, his expression as calm as ever, as if that desperate full-force strike—capable of plunging any Titled Douluo into deep sleep—had been nothing more than a gentle breeze brushing past his face.
"Impossible... How could you break free so quickly?!" The Sleep Demon Douluo's voice trembled.
It hadn't even been a full second!
No, it probably hadn't even been half a second!
Neuvillette did not answer.
He didn't even feel he had "broken free" of anything. Had something just happened? He felt absolutely nothing.
All he saw was that this old man before him, instead of fleeing immediately, had actually charged toward him.
Perhaps he had gone mad from killing. The thoughts of a madman were beyond the understanding of normal people.
Neuvillette raised his hand, his tone as flat as still water: "Be dissolved... into foam."
"What?! No—!"
The Sleep Demon Douluo's agonized scream was cut short.
Water materialized out of thin air, instantly encasing him in an enormous cocoon of liquid. No matter how he struggled, he could not break free in the slightest.
Moments later, the watery cocoon dispersed.
A figure—barely clinging to life, completely unconscious—fell from within and slammed heavily onto the ground. At this moment, he was drenched from head to toe, wretched beyond measure. Where was even a shred of a Titled Douluo's imposing might? He looked like nothing more than a drowned old dog.
"As expected of you, Neuvillette!" Furina gave him a big thumbs-up, offering her highest praise.
Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao were utterly dumbstruck.
"So strong..."
Huo Yuhao murmured. Although he was part of the Church of the Water God, he had never witnessed Neuvillette in action. Only after seeing him today did he truly understand what it meant to "overwhelm."
A Rank 91 evil soul master Titled Douluo had been completely helpless before him, like an insect.
Wang Dong also thoroughly cast aside all the chaotic thoughts in his mind, his eyes sparkling brightly. "So powerful! And so cool!"
Xiao Xiao was even more dramatic, pressing both hands to her heart, her eyes filled with little stars. "Yes, yes! So handsome! Mature and dignified, and that dashing look..."
She had officially become Neuvillette's number one fan.
Neuvillette was utterly unmoved by the trio's reactions. He simply looked calmly at Furina. "Every bone in his body has been broken. Even if he regains consciousness, he will be unable to move. What is the next course of action, Lady Furina?"
"Please take him back to the Church of the Water God and hand him over to Ye Guyi for disposal," Furina said.
She was very curious. If Ye Guyi personally finished off a Titled Douluo-level evil soul master in a near-death state, how much nourishment would her Sacred Angel martial soul receive? And would it possibly undergo an evolution as a result?
"Understood. Then I shall return to my official duties now."
Neuvillette gave a slight nod. In a flash, he vanished without a trace, taking the Sleep Demon Douluo with him.
Furina gazed at the spot where he had disappeared and sighed inwardly with emotion: Those one hundred thousand points were truly worth it! Still... losing a hundred thousand points in one go does sting a little. Ah, well, who can predict the will of heaven?