Chapter 171: Minel Sect: Abalam

Previously, when questioning that heretic, Louis had already learned the exact location and leader of their sect from him.

According to him, the Minel Sect was merely a small sect, with many members being locals from Efanwu Village, who revered the lewd demon Abalam and served him.

Correct, the demon's name is Abalam, not Minel; the reason their sect is called Minel instead of Abalam is naturally for secrecy, and Minel is the name of their sect's founder.

Out of caution toward his adversary, Louis had already investigated the name Abalam—but found nothing; clearly, this was an obscure demon with no record in any public texts.

His favorite pastime was luring pure youths to corruption, so Louis referred to him simply as the Lewd Demon.

Over the years, this sect had repeatedly attempted to summon him, but achieved no success—until a few months ago, when their leader obtained a mysterious artifact from occult lore and performed the summoning ritual once more.

And miraculously, Abalam responded!

Since then, they began gathering young girls, seeking a suitable vessel to perform the ritual and bring the demon into the world.

Jeff was one such supplier of materials; in fact, the men originally sent to deal with him had intended to kill him to silence him, as he was emotionally unstable and had threatened to expose them.

But the demon Abalam gave guidance: Jeff must not die; they must find the killer instead.

That was the full story.

"A small sect, with its stronghold in this village—its strength won't be great. But what are the summoning conditions for this demon? Just pure young girls?"

Though the heretic held a moderately high rank, he could not access such core secrets; just revealing the meeting location and time was already more than he could offer.

But regardless, Louis was here to eliminate the threat—knowing the location and time was enough.

"Jiali, let's go."

The two began asking locals for directions, while Louis kept his spiritual eyes open, observing these people.

As expected, when he questioned one of them, that person's soul trembled—lying!

"Yes, over there—it's mostly uninhabited, just a small farm. I think it's the Switz family? Do you need to see them?"

The fat woman smiled warmly.

Louis returned a polite smile. "No, we're just strolling. We heard the farms here grow exceptionally well, so we're curious to take a look. You know—nothing matters more than food."

"Yes, yes, food is vital!" The woman's gaze lingered repeatedly on Jiali, growing even warmer. "I strongly recommend you go there—its farm is the best in the entire village. You'll be satisfied."

"Thank you for your cooperation," Louis said, then led Jiali away.

Watching them leave, the fat woman's expression instantly changed. She dialed a phone. "... es, that's the place. One of them is a girl—remember..."

After hanging up, she shook her head. "You're asking for death."

On the roadside, Jiali suddenly spoke. "Louis, she's lying to us—and she harbors malice toward me."

"I know," Louis smirked slightly, glancing back at the shop. "She's an informant for the sect—she's already alerted her superiors. As for her hostility toward you... hehe, because you're a pure young girl, she sees you as a target."

Jiali nodded, asking no further questions. As long as Louis understood, that was enough. She only feared he might be deceived.

As for why Louis had deliberately alerted them, she didn't understand—and didn't care to wonder.

Louis walked forward, asking questions along the way, and soon arrived at their destination: a small farm.

Along the way, he identified eleven or twelve people on that street with suspicious souls. The heretic had been right—this place was indeed their stronghold.

Moreover, the religious atmosphere here was thick, yet filled with many new sects and chaotic beliefs—perhaps explaining why this sect had emerged.

Inside the farm's stable, a farce was unfolding: a pale, emaciated white girl lay on the ground. Hearing movement, she twisted her head—suddenly turning it halfway around, an impossible motion.

A man in a suit entered, followed by others filming with cameras, as if making a documentary.

Cotton stared at the girl, clutching a crucifix—he was in agony.

He came from a family of priests, three generations in a row, and he too was one—but he did not believe in God. Both God and demons stemmed from the same legend; if you believed in God, you had to believe in demons. Yet upon investigation, he found most so-called demons were either frauds or mental illnesses.

None were real!

Some had even been killed during exorcisms. To shatter this lie, he selected one of the many desperate letters sent to him and decided to make a documentary.

But... since arriving here, everything had turned strange.

At first, it was simple: treating a girl who'd been locked in her home for two years, possibly suffering psychological issues.

He followed procedure: pulled out his ancestral book, listing over a hundred demons and monsters, randomly picked one named Abalam, and began the exorcism.

First, he pretended to be possessed, shouted prayers, then triggered the crucifix's hidden mechanism to produce smoke—this was considered a successful exorcism.

He fulfilled his role as a psychologist, calming the girl's extremist father, persuading him to take her to a hospital.

Everything proceeded smoothly.

But then things went wrong. The girl began acting bizarrely: strangling cats, slashing her brother's mouth, wandering at night emitting infantile cries. These terrifying acts seemed to confirm possession. Her father decided to shoot his own daughter.

With no other option, he proposed one more exorcism to save her life.

And now.

Watching the girl's eerie expression, he wavered. Could it be... that demons truly existed?

There was no turning back. He had to press on.

He raised the crucifix and began reciting the Lord's prayer—this time, he followed the ritual exactly, using no deception.

As he spoke, the girl's face twisted into a grotesque snarl. Her body jerked violently, her upper torso bending as if breaking, floating midair, toes only touching the ground.

It looked exactly like... possession.

"You don't believe I exist?"

The girl spoke in a hoarse voice, laughing eerily at Cotton.

"Who are you?" Cotton's face dripped with sweat. Could it truly be a demon?

"Hehe, Abalam. Human, remember my name: Abalam."

Abalam?

Wasn't that the name I randomly picked from the book?

Before he could think, the girl spoke again.

"Now, I'll make a wager: if you can stay silent for ten seconds, I'll leave this girl's body. Deal?"

Cotton had no choice: "Fine."

"Hahaha!!"

Snap!

The girl immediately broke one of her fingers—as if feeling no pain—still laughing.

Without giving Cotton time to hesitate, she snapped a second finger.

Snap!

"No!" Cotton couldn't help shouting.

"Hahaha! You lost, human!"

"Now, this body is mine!"

"No! Demon! You won't succeed!" The girl's father, Switz, raised his hunting rifle.

"No! No! No!" Cotton immediately pressed down the rifle's muzzle. "She's your daughter—you can't do this! This is murder—it's illegal!"

"No, she's not my daughter anymore. She's a demon. If I don't kill her, my daughter will suffer even greater pain."

"There is no demon! It's all fake!"

"Hehe, you still don't believe I exist." The girl, now split-legged and pressed flat to the ground, stuck out her tongue teasingly at Cotton. "Shall I give you a special service? To prove I'm a demon?"

Cotton froze. "Special service? Do you even know what that means?"

It was a test. Could a sheltered girl, confined at home by her father, truly know anything about sex?

Obviously not. But could the Lewd Demon Abalam not know sex? Ridiculous.

So, how would you answer?

The next second, the girl froze, then clutched her head in agony, trembling violently as if having a seizure.

Cotton exhaled in relief. This was clearly a mental illness—where was the demon? I really scared myself this time.

"See, Switz? Your daughter likely suffers from schizophrenia. How could a Lewd Demon not know about sex? Also, your daughter is pregnant—the town doctor confirmed it over the phone. You've shown no care for her at all." Cotton scolded Switz.

"Take her home immediately. Rest. Then see a psychiatrist."

Switz lowered his rifle, face flushed with shame. "So that's it? I'm sorry. After their mother died of cancer two years ago, their minds became unstable. I never realized mine had too—I missed all this. I'm a terrible father."

"Sorry, Father Cotton. We've troubled you."

"Roar!!"

A roar cut through their conversation.

The girl, Nuel, who had been writhing in pain, now wore a ferocious expression, staring at a direction as if seeing something that terrified her.

She spun around, climbed the wall like a spider, and darted out with uncanny agility.

Switz stared in horror. "No! That's a demon! That was a trick!"

"It deceived us!"

He raised his rifle again and fired at the door.

Bang!

Shattered the threshold.

But the girl, agile as a spider, had already escaped the stable.

"Father Cotton, you're useless! You faithless fraud!"

Switz cursed, raising his rifle and chasing after her.

Cotton stood frozen, stunned.

(End of Chapter)