Chapter Twelve: Eleventh Sister's Illusion Trap
The faint voice that rang out in the Daqing Hall finally broke the deathly silence.
However, the laws of the Demon Palace have never changed. Any unusual movement will attract the attention of those who are watching.
Shiyi Niang harbored a deep resentment over her failed illusion trick last time. Her arrogant nature made her intolerant of failure, especially not of failure against that cowardly and incompetent "Eleventh Sister" she had always looked down upon. In her simplistic understanding, Jiu Ya's very existence was a mistake—a fool who had taken what she considered a more pleasant name and ranking, and now dared to defy her, even speaking in the Daqing Hall? Absolutely unforgivable!
Eleven-Niang went to great lengths to obtain a seed of the "Nightmare Ephemeral Flower," a flower that could silently emit hallucinogenic aura, from a magic master she was on good terms with. She carefully chose the palace garden corridor where Jiu Ya often took a walk alone in the afternoon to get some fresh air, then crushed the flower seed into fine powder and quietly scattered it on the path she always took.
This time, she wanted to completely destroy Jiu Ya's already "weak" mind, to make her collapse completely in extreme fear, and even better, to make her die of excessive fear "accidentally".
That afternoon, the unwelcoming sunlight of the Demon Realm filtered through the sparse branches of demonic plants, casting dappled and distorted shadows on the corridor. Shang Jiuya walked slowly, accompanied by Bai Yu. After Li Yue's transfer, her sense of security on the outskirts had indeed improved somewhat; at least the lower-ranking guards no longer dared to be as blatantly negligent as before.
As she walked, she kept reviewing the bits and pieces of information Bai Yu had reported in the past few days, pondering how to proceed.
Just as she walked past a colonnade shrouded in dense shadows, the surrounding light suddenly dimmed, and the fresh scent of grass and trees in the air mingled with a cloying, rotten smell.
Shang Jiuya's heart tightened suddenly.
"Your Majesty?" Bai Yu beside him seemed to have also noticed something was wrong, her voice filled with panic.
However, the next second, Bai Yu's cry of surprise seemed to be distorted, and then completely disappeared into the boundless silence. The surrounding scenery was distorted and reassembled, no longer the palace gardens and corridors.
A bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped her. Before her was the churning river, and countless twisted black shadows swarmed out from the riverbed, stretching out pale fingers and frantically tearing at her body.
Shang Jiuya let out a shrill scream. It was the River of Oblivion! It was the River of Oblivion that Rong Jiang had jumped into, and those were the remnants of souls that were devouring her soul.
Intense pain instantly overwhelmed her; she could clearly "feel" her own "flesh and blood" being torn off, turning into wisps of black mist that were devoured by those remnant souls.
No! That's not right! I'm not Rong Jiang! I'm in the Demon Palace! This is an illusion!
A voice screamed wildly deep within my mind, but the pain felt too real!
Just as she was about to be completely consumed by this boundless pain, the scene before her suddenly changed again.
She found herself lying on the magnificent yet cold bed in the Purple Light Palace, but her body was stiff and unable to move. Her throat burned, and her internal organs felt as if they were being gnawed by countless poisonous insects, causing excruciating pain. She saw a bowl of calming soup emitting an eerie purple light…
It was the scene when the poison took effect, the pain she endured when she first transmigrated.
The fear of death was more real than the agony of the River of Oblivion; she was going to die! She was going to die again!
"No...no..." she sobbed desperately, but no clear sound came out of her throat.
The scene distorted again—
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, save me!" She saw Bai Yu being dragged along by several ferocious-looking demon guards, his clothes torn, crying his heart out, reaching out his helpless hand to her.
"Useless! A dog that can't protect its master, what use is it!" She then "saw" Li Yue being cleaved to the ground by the arrogant Captain Baron, his blood staining the cold ground. Even in death, his eyes remained open, gazing in her direction…
The person she cared about met with misfortune because of her.
The psychological impact of this imagery even surpassed the torment of physical pain. The immense guilt and fear nearly crushed her mind.
Shang Jiuya's consciousness teetered on the brink of collapse as the illusion precisely struck her deepest fears, weaving the cruelest dream.
Give up... surrender... just collapse like this... death will bring relief... a tempting voice echoed in her heart.
Just as her consciousness was about to be completely swallowed by darkness—
Rong Jiang!
The image of that figure, devoured by countless souls in the River of Oblivion, yet burning with unyielding resentment, suddenly flashed into her mind.
Rong Jiang did not give up! She was still struggling! She was still resisting!
What about me?! Am I just going to give up like this?! Have I been defeated by this little illusion?! What happened to the courage I mustered up in the Great Celebration Hall?! What happened to my determination to live?!
An unusually tenacious and fierce energy suddenly erupted from the depths of her fading consciousness.
No! I can't die! I can't go mad!
She began frantically concentrating her remaining mental energy to search for the disharmony within the illusion.
Demonic fire! That's right! The demonic fire in the Purple Light Palace is a ghostly blue! But in the "poisoning" scene just now, the light from the lamp stand by the bed... seemed to have an unusual, ghastly green tinge?
Sound! The scene where Bai Yu and Li Yue were murdered... there was no sound! Only visuals, but no sounds of clashing weapons, no screams! This doesn't make sense!
And... the smell. The River of Oblivion should be deathly cold and desolate, carrying the fragrance of red spider lilies, not that cloying, rotten stench. That... that seems to be the smell of demonic plant pollen!
This is an illusion, it's all fake!
She bit her tongue hard, and the intense pain, mixed with the metallic sweetness of rust, exploded in her mouth. This real pain brought her a moment of clarity.
"Break!" she roared with all her might.
The terrifying scene before them began to fluctuate violently, like a reflection in a mirror or the moon in the water. Images of the River of Oblivion, the poisoned wine, and the deaths of Bai Yu and Li Yue flickered intermittently.
Almost at the same time—
"Your Excellency!"
A low, anxious growl rang in her ears, followed by someone grabbing her arm and yanking her backward.
It's Li Yue!
He didn't know when he noticed the abnormality, but he recklessly forced his way into the area shrouded in the illusion field. His intrusion severely disrupted the stability of the illusion.
Shang Jiuya felt the illusion before her eyes vanish like shattered glass, and the surrounding scenery instantly returned to the familiar palace corridor.
She was completely exhausted and slumped backward, only to be caught by Li Yue in time to prevent her from collapsing to the ground. She gasped for breath, her face as pale as fresh snow, the stinging sensation on her tongue and the taste of blood constantly reminding her of what she had just experienced.
Bai Yu also slumped down not far away, her face equally pale, and she was looking at her in utter terror.
Not far away, Shiyi Niang slowly emerged from the shadow of a pillar.
Her face showed undisguised surprise and astonishment, but that surprise quickly turned into annoyance and sarcasm. She clapped her hands and said with a coquettish laugh, "Oh dear, Eleventh Sister, what's wrong with you? You suddenly froze while walking, your face turned deathly pale, and you were trembling all over. Has your old ailment flared up again? You really scared me to death!" She exaggerated her tone, "And this guard, how dare he so rashly offend His Majesty? What should his punishment be?"
Shang Jiuya leaned on Li Yue's strong arm, struggling to support her body. She raised her head and looked at Eleventh Sister, "Twelfth Sister's illusion magic... is becoming more and more 'ingenious'. I... have truly experienced it today."
The smile on Shiyi Niang's face froze instantly. She didn't expect Shang Jiuya to expose her so directly. That look... that was not the look that Shiyi Niang knew.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something sarcastic, but under Shang Jiuya's icy gaze, she was speechless for a moment. She glared fiercely at Shang Jiuya and Li Yue, but ultimately didn't continue the argument. She stomped her foot, turned around, and left quickly.
Only after Shiyi Niang's figure completely disappeared did Shang Jiuya finally let out a breath, leaning limply against Li Yue, barely able to stand.
"Your Majesty!" Bai Yu scrambled over and, with a sob in his voice, supported her on the other side of her body.
"It's alright..." Shang Jiuya's voice was so weak it was almost inaudible, "Go back...go back immediately..."
Li Yue silently supported most of her weight, and together with Bai Yu, escorted Shang Jiuya back to the Ziguang Palace.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com