This Illusion, I Accept

"Old Zhong... you?"

Zhou Yue was utterly baffled.

First, this demonic cultivator youth was only at the Foundation Establishment level.

Forget three days—

even lasting three seconds under Zhong Yi’s hand would only be because Zhong Yi was going easy on him.

Second...

Why had Zhong Yi brought back an ordinary girl alongside him?

"Listen to me..."

Zhong Yi rubbed his temples wearily and began to explain.

With his intellect, he had quickly pinpointed the demonic cultivator’s location after receiving the lead.

When he arrived at the remote village, the youth couldn’t even withstand a single move from him.

Just as the mission was about to be completed, a girl rushed out, spreading her arms to shield the demonic cultivator, refusing to let Zhong Yi kill him.

At first, Zhong Yi assumed the girl had been bewitched by the demonic cultivator. But after probing with his techniques, he found no trace of manipulation.

Upon learning Zhong Yi was a cultivator, the girl willingly allowed him to inspect her soul and extract her memories.

From her memories, Zhong Yi learned:

The youth had been turned into a test subject for demonic cultivation techniques from birth, forced into the dark path.

Demonic cultivators were called as such because they required human blood, lives, and souls to advance their cultivation.

But the youth had only ever killed other demonic cultivators and so-called "Righteous Path Cultivators" who abused their power to terrorize mortals.

In fact, the girl herself had been rescued by the youth from the hands of these "Righteous Path Cultivators."

Before the youth arrived, the entire village had been tormented by a group of these so-called righteous cultivators.

The irony?

After seeing the youth subdued by Zhong Yi’s overwhelming power, not a single villager spoke up for him.

Only the girl stood before him, willing to live or die together.

Zhong Yi was deeply conflicted.

Call him good?

He was undeniably a demonic cultivator.

Call him evil?

Yet he had never committed a single heinous act.

He killed, but only those who deserved it.

In contrast, those who practiced righteous techniques but brought suffering to the world seemed more like demonic cultivators.

...

"Do you know... from their memories, I saw something horrifying," Zhong Yi said gravely.

"Someone..."

"...is breeding demonic cultivators!"

From the girl and the youth’s memories, he had witnessed chilling scenes.

In this remote mountain village, a special elixir was being used to forcibly turn ordinary people into low-grade demonic cultivators.

The group of rogue Righteous Path Cultivators would then periodically return to harvest the lives of these transformed mortals—as if it were all prearranged.

The girl’s family had died at the hands of these cultivators.

Fortunately, the youth had intervened, slaughtering the entire group and restoring peace to the village.

Zhong Yi even suspected that the youth had become a demonic cultivator precisely because he was one of the first test subjects of this elixir.

"Big brother... you won’t kill Qing-ge, right?"

The girl’s large, glistening eyes pleaded with desperate hope.

For a moment, the four of them fell into silence again.

Judgment Day was at its final stage.

Once the illusionary realm demonstration concluded, no one who stepped onto the execution platform had ever walked away alive.

The hatred Righteous Path Cultivators held for demonic cultivators was bone-deep.

But...

All four of them knew the youth before them was an exception.

And an accident.

"What... what should I do?"

Zhong Yi, usually resolute, was at a loss.

Kill him?

That would be unjust.

Spare him?

That would be disloyal.

For the first time, Zhong Yi truly understood the saying, "Loyalty and righteousness cannot coexist."

Just as the four of them frowned in contemplation, Zhong Yi received a message from Zhao Wendao.

The second phase of the [Demon-Slaying Day] had begun.

...

...

As core disciples of their sect, the four reluctantly traveled via the sect’s teleportation array to the Immortal Abyss Continent, where the [Demon-Slaying Convention] was being held.

Once all participants had gathered, the elders of the five great sects announced the rankings from the first round of demon-slaying.

Unsurprisingly, the Qingshan Sect took first place, while the Lingxiao Sect ranked last.

For the second phase—the illusionary realm demonstration—the five sects quickly settled on a theme.

"The Demon-Slaying Convention has been held for decades, but using an illusionary realm is a first," Zhang Yuxian, the Qingshan Sect’s grand elder, declared in a booming voice that echoed across the land.

"Since this is the [Demon-Slaying Day], the theme shall be [Righteous and Demonic]. Any objections?"

The proposal was met with unanimous agreement from the participants, ranked in order.

Until it reached Zhong Yi.

His expression was complicated, his brows furrowed, his gaze distant.

Righteous and Demonic...

He couldn’t help but think of the youth and the girl.

For the first time, his long-held beliefs wavered.

He actually... wanted to speak up for that youth.

But as Zhao Wendao’s most prized disciple, how could he not understand the mindset of Righteous Path Cultivators?

This theme was designed to condemn demonic cultivators.

Prejudice was a mountain in people’s hearts.

Zhong Yi mustered his courage, but he couldn’t find the strength to topple that mountain.

"This disciple..."

He took a deep breath, then slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"...is unworthy. I fear I cannot fulfill this task."

The thought of the youth’s hollow eyes and the girl’s innocent gaze made him feel like this was a question he couldn’t answer.

The moment he spoke, mocking whispers erupted.

"What’s this? The Lingxiao Sect’s core disciple can’t even handle such a simple task?"

"He was the slowest in the demon-slaying round too. Maybe he’s colluding with demonic cultivators?"

"Tch. The Lingxiao Sect really is worthless."

"Where’s Lu Ze the Demon? Shouldn’t he be handling the illusion?"

"Obviously, now that the Heavenly Dao’s spiritual energy is fully unleashed, he’s too scared to show his face."

...

...

Amid the murmurs, Zhao Wendao frowned.

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.

"Elder Zhao, is the Lingxiao Sect... truly forfeiting?" Zhang Yuxian cleared his throat, his gaze lingering on Lu Ze in the crowd.

"If Zhong Yi can’t do it, another disciple can take his place. The dignity of the five great sects shouldn’t be discarded so easily."

Zhao Wendao shot him a glance. "A mere reputation isn’t worth clinging to."

He knew all too well that the other’s goal had always been to undermine Lu Ze.

Lu Ze, sensing Zhang Yuxian’s pointed gaze, finally rose amidst the murmurs.

"This illusion..."

"I’ll take it."

At the same time, a long-dormant system voice echoed in Lu Ze’s ears.

[Righteous Path Cultivators host a Demon-Slaying Convention. As a demonic cultivator, the host takes the initiative to strike!]

[Quest: Win the convention, shock the Righteous Path Cultivators, and change their perception of demonic cultivators.]