Chapter 81: Yizhou’s Illusion (Part 9)

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Yizhou’s Illusion (Part 9)

The plan Sui Sui came up with was actually quite simple. Since the Heavenly Dao insisted on using this heart trial to hurt Yizhou, then he would do his best to stop it. After all, the best way to break an illusion was to disrupt its flow.

His goal was to have Bai Sui Sui try to change the outcome that had already been predetermined.

Although this event already had a real ending in reality, the current scenario was still happening inside Yizhou’s mind. It was not reality, and unlike the real world, where the past could not simply be changed, an illusion was much easier to manipulate, especially one that was formed from a person’s own heart.

The only reason this illusion continued to follow the same sequence of events was because, deep down, Yizhou himself believed that the outcome could not be changed. No matter how many times the story repeated itself, he believed that he was powerless to do anything differently.

But now, things are different.

Sui Sui was an outsider who had managed to enter Yizhou’s heart trial and interact with the illusion from within. Since he had been given this opportunity, he would use it to show Yizhou that the outcome he believed was inevitable could, in fact, be changed, even if it was only in an illusionary world.

Sui Sui felt the hot breath of the person in his arms. He continued to channel his spiritual energy into Yizhou’s body, doing his best to calm the rampaging energy within him. Thankfully, even though this was only an illusion, Yizhou did not seem to reject his help.

"This? Junior Brother Bai Sui Sui, you might not know the whole situation, but he caused your brother’s death. You should not be standing up for him. You should be blaming him instead," the disciple called Jin said, he was surprised with Bai Sui Sui’s appearance here but he still try to persuade him, thinking this one was a fool who didn’t understand anyway.

However, the next words that came out of Bai Sui Sui’s mouth surprised everyone.

"Who are you? Just because you said so, Sui Sui must follow?" Bai Sui Sui asked, his childish voice carrying an unexpected hint of aggression. "You keep saying Sui Sui’s Senior Brother colluded with the demons, but where is the proof? If Sui Sui’s Senior Brother really colluded with the demons, then why would he risk his life to save all of you?"

The Bai Sui Sui they knew had always been meek and easily led. He was foolish enough that most people could convince him of almost anything with a few simple words. Yet this time, there was an unusual sharpness in his voice, and even his expression carried a firmness that was rarely seen from him.

He looked around at everyone, his expression unusually serious for someone who was normally so timid.

From within Bai Sui Sui’s body, Sui Sui continued to guide him, quietly directing his words and actions so that the illusion would continue to change.

His gaze swept across the crowd, and the more he looked at the people who were now accusing Yizhou, the more dissatisfied he became.

"You insist on slandering Sui Sui’s Senior Brother? Then let’s see!"

Bai Sui Sui raised a hand and pointed toward one of the male disciples from Wenjian Sect.

"You! Inside the secret realm, when you were about to break through, who was the one who gathered the materials you needed and stood guard for you?" The disciple who was pointed at froze. His lips parted, but no words came out.

Bai Sui Sui did not wait for an answer before turning toward another person.

"And you! When those disciples from the other sect were bullying and harassing you, who was the one who stepped forward and protected you?" he asked, pointing at a female disciple. The woman’s face immediately paled. She lowered her gaze, unable to meet Bai Sui Sui’s eyes.

Then Bai Sui Sui’s finger shifted toward Jin. "And you!"

His childish voice suddenly became even more sharper than his earlier fierceness "When you were about to be killed by a demon, who was the one who risked his life to save you?"

Jin’s expression changed.

Bai Sui Sui stared at him fiercely, completely different from the timid and easily frightened young man everyone knew.

"And every single one of you here!" Bai Sui Sui’s gaze swept across the crowd. "Tell Sui Sui, who is the reason all of you are still alive?"

No one answered.

"Who fought the demon inside the secret realm? Who was the one who risked his own life to make sure everyone else could escape safely? Wasn’t it Sui Sui’s Senior Brother?"

His voice grew louder with every question, the words coming out with the stubborn determination of someone who simply could not understand how everyone could forget something so obvious.

"Every one of you owes your life to Sui Sui’s Senior Brother! But instead of thanking him, all of you are accusing him!"

Bai Sui Sui’s small hands clenched into fists.

"You all know what kind of person Sui Sui’s Senior Brother is. You know that he would never do something like this. But even knowing that, not even one of you stood up for him." His voice trembled slightly, but he did not back down. "If this is how you repay someone who saved your life, then Sui Sui thinks... it would have been better if Sui Sui’s Senior Brother had never saved you at all."

The clearing fell silent.

One by one, the disciples lowered their heads. Shame spread across their faces as they remembered the things Yizhou had done for them. None of them could refute Bai Sui Sui’s words because every accusation he had made was true.

Yizhou had helped them.

Yizhou had protected them.

And when their lives had been in danger, he had been the one who stood between them and death.

Yet now, when he was the one being accused and abandoned, not a single person had stepped forward to defend him.

From inside Bai Sui Sui’s body, Sui Sui almost wanted to applaud.

Good, good! Although Bai Sui Sui’s words were not particularly well-constructed, and his reasoning was not entirely logical—after all, how could Bai Sui Sui, who had never even entered the secret realm, know all of these things?—Sui Sui did not really care.

This was an illusion, after all. Who cared whether everything Bai Sui Sui said made perfect sense? As long as he was able to point out the key details and use them to defend Yizhou, that was enough.

Before coming here, Sui Sui had already told Bai Sui Sui some of the details of what had happened inside the secret realm. Once the little fool learned everything, he became genuinely angry. After all, even a fool had his own temper, especially when it came to someone he admired so much.

Earlier Sui Sui had pointed out the things Bai Sui Sui could use to strengthen his argument, allowing him to bring up those key details one after another. Bai Sui Sui might not have been clever enough to construct a perfectly logical argument on his own, but with Sui Sui guiding him from within, he was at least able to grasp the important points and stubbornly use them to defend Yizhou.

Sui Sui had also explained that Bai Suichen had died while trying to save Yizhou. He did not want Bai Sui Sui to misunderstand the situation and blame Yizhou for his brother’s death.

Although, thinking back on everything that had happened in the earlier part of the illusion, Sui Sui felt that concern might have been unnecessary.

From what he had seen, Bai Sui Sui had never seemed to blame Yizhou for Bai Suichen’s death in the first place.

Back to the scene, this disciple Jin had his words slapped so he was a bit embarrassed, but he still pointed out "Even so, he is a demon!"

"So what if he is a demon? Who said that all demons must be bad? You are just being prejudiced. Even if he really is a demon, it is still a fact that he saved all of you. If my Senior Brother was truly colluding with the demons, then why would he risk his life to fight and save everyone?"

Bai Sui Sui’s voice grew firmer as he continued

"Clearly, the demon that attacked was much stronger than all of you. It could have wiped out everyone inside the secret realm. It was only because my Senior Brother fought against it that all of you survived. If my Senior Brother really was colluding with the demons, wouldn’t it have been easier for him to simply let the demon kill all of you and remove all the witnesses?"

His words fell heavily over the clearing.

For a moment, no one spoke. Several disciples exchanged uncertain glances, seemingly unable to immediately find a way to refute him. What Bai Sui Sui had said was simple, but the question itself was difficult to dismiss. If Yizhou had truly been working with the demon, then why had he risked his own life to protect everyone else?

Disciple Jin’s expression darkened. His face, which had already been somewhat embarrassed after Bai Sui Sui’s earlier rebuttals, now became even more unpleasant.

"You, on the other hand, keep insisting that my Senior Brother colluded with the demons, but where is your proof?" Bai Sui Sui pointed directly at Disciple Jin. "You have only been saying it yourself. Besides you, who else can testify that my Senior Brother colluded with the demons?"

After saying this, Bai Sui Sui turned to look at the surrounding disciples, waiting for someone to step forward and confirm Jin’s accusation.

But no one did.

"If Sui Sui didn’t know any better, then with how you keep trying to make trouble without any evidence, Sui Sui would have thought you were the spy sent here by the Demon Realm." The accusation was spoken in passing, only meant to stir up some thoughts

Yet unbeknownst to Bai Sui Sui, his words had struck dangerously close to the truth.

Because In the original story, Disciple Jin really was a spy sent by the Demon Realm. His purpose had been to infiltrate the righteous path and divert their attention away from the Demon Realm’s true plans. When Yizhou’s identity as a half-demon was unexpectedly exposed, Jin immediately seized the opportunity and made him the perfect scapegoat.

Bai Sui Sui was about to continue when an authoritative voice suddenly echoed across the clearing.

"Enough. This matter will be thoroughly investigated by the Wenjian Sect."

It was the voice of Acting Sect Leader Jiang.

Sui Sui who was inside Bai Sui Sui’s body, heart tightened at once. He had changed the course of the illusion, but he still did not know how far those changes would carry. Would the outcome truly be different this time, or would everything eventually return to the same tragic ending?

"Since there is no solid evidence to prove this accusation, take this disciple back to the Wenjian Sect and place him under house arrest while the matter is investigated," Acting Sect Leader Jiang ordered, looking at Yizhou with a deep unperturbed eyes.

The moment his words fell, several elders stepped forward and approached Yizhou.

Sui Sui instinctively tensed, watching their every movement. He remembered how things had unfolded in the original version of the illusion. Yizhou had been treated as though he were already guilty, with the elders showing no mercy toward him.

But this time, things were different.

Although the elders still took Yizhou away, their movements were far less forceful. There was no rough dragging, no unnecessary restraint, and no hostility comparable to what Sui Sui had seen before.

Sui Sui finally let out the breath he had been holding.

He had actually done it.

He had changed the outcome.

Even if the difference was small, the illusion was no longer following the exact same path as before.

As Sui Sui watched Yizhou being taken away, the surrounding scene suddenly began to blur.

The scene was changing once again.