Chapter Thirty-One: The Poisonous Scheme of Illusory Dreams
After confirming the news with trembling hands, Shiyi Niang abruptly released her grip, staggering backward and knocking over the exquisite lamp stand behind her without even realizing it. She slumped softly onto the carpet, her eyes vacant.
To her, Qi Mu was not just an older brother, but the most powerful guardian in her dark world, the source of her unbridled confidence. And now, this pillar of her being, the very person she despised, had been destroyed by her own eleventh sister?
This devastating blow was far more thorough and fatal than the defeat in a power struggle.
The void lasted only for a fleeting moment before it was filled with madness, resentment, and hatred.
"Jiuya!" Shiyi Niang suddenly raised her head. "You killed him! You actually killed him! You ruined everything I had!"
She suddenly grabbed everything within reach—exquisite vases, jewel-encrusted combs, expensive magic crystal ornaments—and smashed them wildly in all directions, venting her hysterical rage. A series of crackling sounds echoed throughout the palace.
"I want you dead! I want you to be torn to pieces! I want everyone connected to you... everyone who cheered for you... to be buried with you! Buried with you!!!"
Fear? No, at this moment, she was completely consumed by hatred. She knew those old foxes had likely already abandoned her. But she didn't care! Her only thought in life was revenge! To make Jiu Ya and everything she had be sacrificed for her sixth brother!
She plans to use her most proficient illusion magic and the deadly demonic poison "Other Shore Withering and Flourishing," which she secretly collected, to launch a devastating, indiscriminate attack when Shang Jiuya returns in triumph, holds a victory celebration, and everyone is at their lowest point.
She wanted to turn the entire celebration into the most terrifying nightmare, causing everyone who cheered for that bitch to die a miserable death in extreme pain and hallucinations. This was the most "grand" sacrifice she could think of, offered to her deceased sixth brother.
"Go! Bring me that bottle of 'Other Shore's Withering and Flourishing' that I treasure!" Shiyi Niang ordered her hoarsely to the maid beside her, who was also skilled in illusion magic. Her blood-red eyes were fixed on the maid. "Activate all the 'Mirage Demon Pearls' in the palace and maximize the illusion field! At all costs! I will personally prepare the most magnificent 'funeral' for her!"
“Your Highness…” The maid turned pale with fright at her seemingly mad appearance, “‘Other Shore Withering and Flourishing’ is extremely potent, and requires a vast amount of magical power to drive illusions to spread it perfectly and invisibly… Your body and mind will not be able to withstand it…”
"Shut up!" Eleventh Sister interrupted her sharply. "Do as I say! Go now! If you can't... you can go down below and scout ahead for Sixth Brother!"
The maid trembled, dared not say another word, and hurriedly retreated to prepare.
Just as Shiyi Niang was frantically preparing her destructive scheme, Shang Jiuya, who was recuperating from her injuries and consolidating her forces at the temporary command post on the border, was meditating and circulating the "Secret Sense of Shadows" to strengthen her spiritual awareness.
Suddenly her heart skipped a beat, and a near-self-destructive surge of magical energy pierced her highly sensitive spiritual perception network.
The source of this fluctuation was distant, yet exceptionally clear, and she knew its core intimately—it belonged to Eleventh Sister. But the concentration of malice and the frenzied, self-destructive madness far surpassed anything she had experienced before.
The enhanced early warning capabilities brought about by the advancement of "The Shadowy Secrets" to a new level played a crucial role at this moment.
Shang Jiuya suddenly opened her eyes, her expression instantly becoming extremely solemn. She could even vaguely "see" the direction of that malicious fluctuation—deep within the Demon Palace, in the palace of Eleventh Sister.
"Eleventh Sister...you really haven't given up your evil intentions! You actually want to use such vicious methods!" Shang Jiuya instantly understood Eleventh Sister's intentions: the victory celebration banquet! She must be planning to make her move at her own victory celebration banquet!
"Bai Yu! Li Yue!" Shang Jiuya immediately called out.
Li Yue, whose condition had stabilized considerably, and his maid, who was on standby, quickly came to her side.
"Immediately monitor all movements in Eleventh Lady's palace through all channels! Especially her personnel coming and going, magic crystal consumption, and whether she is mobilizing large quantities of some special items with a withering, deathly aura!" Shang Jiuya spoke rapidly. "She is preparing an extremely vicious conspiracy, and the target is likely the upcoming victory celebration banquet!"
Bai Yu and Li Yue's expressions changed drastically, and they immediately accepted the order and left.
Soon, the information came back. Eleventh Lady's palace was indeed unusually sealed off, the consumption of magic crystals had increased dramatically, and her trusted maid had recently made secret contact with a reclusive merchant in the Demon Palace's black market who was known for selling rare poisons.
All signs confirmed Shang Jiuya's spiritual warning!
"Fine! Well done, Eleventh Sister! Since you've chosen your own death, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Shang Jiuya's eyes flashed with cold light; she would not give this madwoman any more chances.
"Li Yue, take some men and go find Elder Qingcheng immediately! Among the supplies he provided before, there was a 'Myriad Transformations Cleansing Pill' that can neutralize most demonic poisons and a 'Illusion-Breaking Array Plate' that can forcibly interfere with or even tear apart illusionary force fields for a short time. We need more of them! Tell him it's time to fulfill our promise!"
"Bai Yu, you personally select absolutely reliable people, secretly prepare the venue for the victory celebration banquet, and conduct the strictest inspection and control on all food, drinks, and spices! We... will turn the tables on them!"
Several days later, the Demon Palace held a celebratory banquet as scheduled to quell the Seven Mu Rebellion. The venue was a pair of spacious palaces. The event was grand, with numerous guests and a lively atmosphere. Shang Jiuya sat dignifiedly in the main seat, accepting the congratulations of everyone.
Secretly, Li Yue's shadow guards had already secured all the key entrances and high points of the palace. The servants arranged by Bai Yu were all carefully selected and reliable individuals. The "Myriad Transformations Cleansing Pill" provided by Qing Cheng had been subtly incorporated into the incense in the public areas, working silently. Meanwhile, the "Illusion-Breaking Array Plate" had been personally placed by Li Yue and his men in several hidden corners of the palace, ready to be activated at any time.
As expected, Eleventh Sister arrived. She was meticulously dressed, a charming smile on her face, as if she had come to offer her sincere congratulations. She sat in an inconspicuous spot, her gaze lowered, concealing the madness surging deep within her eyes. Several maids she brought stood quietly behind her, one of them clutching a small, exquisite incense burner tightly in her hand.
Shiyi Niang felt the time was right. Her charming smile remained unchanged, and she even picked up her wine glass and pretended to take a sip, but in her lowered eyelids, a mad and vicious light almost overflowed.
She gave the maid behind her a very subtle wink, and a surge of magical energy quietly welled up from her body, flowing into the incense burner. The "Other Shore Withering and Flourishing" powder inside, which emitted a faint scent of decay, was instantly activated, rapidly evaporating and combining tightly with the massive illusionary force field she had secretly released. It was about to transform into a colorless and odorless mist of death, quietly permeating the entire hall.
The trusted maid behind her began chanting obscure incantations in a low voice, her hands forming hand seals. She was amplifying and precisely guiding the terrifying power of Shiyi Niang, a mixture of poison and illusion, to ensure it could quickly cover the entire area.
Just a moment before this vicious killing move was about to be unleashed—
"Make your move!" Shang Jiuya slammed down her wine glass, and Li Yue, who was already prepared, instantly crushed the main control array talisman in his hand.
A disruptive wave erupted violently from several pre-arranged array plates, slamming into the area where Shiyi Niang and her maid were located, where the illusory poison field was fluctuating wildly.
Shiyi Niang's body trembled violently, she let out a muffled groan, and her face instantly turned deathly pale. The illusionary poison power she was channeling with all her might had been brutally interrupted by this sudden and powerful interference, resulting in a severe backlash. Her magic power surged back instantly, causing her internal organs to ache as if they had shifted. The maid behind her fared even worse; her assisting in guiding the incantation was forcibly interrupted, and she suffered an even stronger indirect backlash. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, staggered backward, and with her remaining sanity, clung tightly to the incense burner.
Shang Jiuya's figure appeared in front of Shiyi Niang in an instant. Her movements were as fast as lightning, giving Shiyi Niang no chance to suppress her injuries or activate her poison technique again. With one hand, she forcibly took the nearly overturned incense burner from the maid's arms, severing Shiyi Niang's connection with it. With the other hand, she pointed her fingers like a knife and precisely placed them in front of Shiyi Niang's throat, locking her in with a chilling killing intent.
"Eleventh Sister! Do you know your crime!" Shang Jiuya's voice was icy cold, echoing throughout the banquet hall that had suddenly fallen into a deathly silence.
All the guests were stunned, watching this sudden turn of events with bewilderment.
The smile on Shiyi Niang's face froze completely. Her perfect plan had been completely seen through and shattered just before it was about to be launched!
"You...you're spouting nonsense!" Eleventh Sister screamed, enduring the excruciating pain and churning blood within her, making a final, desperate attempt. "I'm merely here to attend the banquet! What right do you have...?"
"On what grounds?" Shang Jiuya sneered, suddenly raising the demonic incense burner in her hand. With a surge of magic, the lid popped open, revealing a small clump of purple powder inside, emanating a chilling, withered aura. "On this grounds! 'Other Shore's Withering and Flourishing,' a rare poison from the demon realm, fatal upon contact with blood, colorless and odorless, requiring one's own pure illusion magic to guide its spread! Just now you poured magic into it, trying to activate it, did you really think I couldn't sense it?"
She then pointed to the maid who had collapsed, coughing up blood and looking ashen: "And her! She assisted you in casting such a vicious spell, and the traces of the backlash are still visible. Caught red-handed, the residual magic is clearly discernible! What excuse do you have left?"
Shang Jiuya exposed Shiyi Niang's conspiracy in public, and the evidence was conclusive.
The madness and resentment in Shiyi Niang's eyes could no longer be concealed. She stared intently at Shang Jiuya, "It's you! It's all your fault! You bitch! You stole everything from me! You deserve to die a horrible death! Even as a ghost, I will never let you go!"
Looking at her completely insane state, Shang Jiuya felt only cold disgust and resolute indignation.
This cancer cannot be allowed to remain any longer; it must be eradicated completely! Otherwise, the consequences will be dire!
Without further hesitation, she turned her gaze to Li Yue, “Li Yue! Eleventh Sister is vicious and incorrigible. She even attempted to use deadly poison to slaughter meritorious officials and endanger the safety of the Demon Palace. The evidence is conclusive and her crimes are unforgivable! Execute her on the spot immediately as a warning to others!”
"Yes, sir!" Li Yue stepped forward without hesitation.
Li Yue's sword had already precisely sliced across Shiyi Niang's neck, and a beautiful head, with an expression of disbelief and terror, rolled to the ground.
The hall was deathly silent; everyone was stunned by the thunderous and decisive action.
Shang Jiuya stared calmly at Shiyi Niang's fallen body. She slowly surveyed the entire scene. "This is the fate of those who plot rebellion and endanger the Demon Realm!"
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