Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 231 Planning
"stop!"

Just then, a resolute and unquestionable shout rang out.

Lan Li suddenly took a step forward, directly blocking Jiang Jin's path and facing the murderous members of the Holy Temple team!

“If you want to harm him,” Lan Li’s gaze swept over the restless reincarnators in the lead, like a sharp blade, “you will kill me too!”

These words were like cold water poured onto boiling oil, instantly freezing the excited crowd in their tracks.

Wang Sen, the leader, looked grim: "Madam Ye! What do you mean by this? Are you going to protect the suspect who killed Commander Feng?!"

"Suspect?" Lan Li sneered, raising her voice to make sure everyone could hear. "Jiang Jin is my husband Ye Xiu's benefactor! At my daughter's wedding, if Jiang Jin hadn't intervened in time, my husband would have been taken advantage of by that beast Li Yuanxiu! He wouldn't be alive today. If he wanted to harm someone, why would he return Feng Ya's belongings now and invite trouble for himself?! Besides, you first said you didn't believe Feng Ya died at the hands of a LV3, but now you believe he died at the hands of a LV2. What kind of logic is that?"

She surveyed the crowd, her tone heavy with sorrow and sharpness: "My husband is currently unconscious, Captain Feng has tragically perished, and your Xuanjia team is facing a life-or-death crisis! We, Yongmeng, have always been allies with your Temple team, yet instead of seeking the truth and working together to survive, you are turning against your benefactor and potential ally out of suspicion? Is this the way the Temple operates? If Ye Xiu were to wake up and see you like this, what would he think?!"

Mentioning Ye Xiu, many people's eyes flickered, and their momentum noticeably weakened.

Ye Xiu's formidable reputation still lingers; he is not truly dead, which makes them hesitant to act rashly. If Lan Li is truly injured, and Ye Xiu were to awaken in the future, no one could bear the consequences.

Wang Sen's face turned pale and then red. He stared intently at Jiang Jin's Reincarnator watch, then glanced at Lan Li's resolute expression. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said fiercely to Jiang Jin, "Hmph! Kid, you're lucky! You have Madam Ye speaking up for you! But this isn't over! Let's go!"

After saying that, he waved his hand sullenly and led a group of unwilling team members away temporarily, but his gaze toward Jiang Jin was still full of hostility.

The conflict was temporarily resolved.

Jiang Jin looked at Lan Li, who was standing in front of him, and said in a low voice with mixed feelings, "Thank you for helping me out, Madam Ye."

Lan Li turned around, her face showing exhaustion and a hint of apology: "I'm the one who should apologize. It's a pity that the Yongmeng team has been usurped by that old beast Mo Xiu, otherwise I would have definitely brought the team in, and you wouldn't have been frightened, Mr. Jiang."

She paused, her tone becoming urgent: "Mr. Jiang, regarding the reason why Lanruo Temple naturally repels Gu worms, I wonder... have you found any specific clues?"

Jiang Jin replied, "Indeed, we already have a lead. Let our commander tell you."

Yu Tianlun walked over and spoke in a steady voice, explaining the principles that Master Mingxin had told him earlier.

"This..." Lan Li's understanding of meme rule pollution was not profound, and she was completely bewildered by what she heard. "So, is there any way to solve the problem and bring my husband back to life?"

In terms of physical characteristics, Ye Xiu is now no different from a dead person. His heart no longer beats and he no longer breathes. However, through the method of Zhu You, his soul is forcibly sealed to prevent it from being completely destroyed and dissipated by the Gu poison of the Pus-Soothing Blood Gu, which allows him to barely "live".

This state is very dangerous and cannot be maintained for long; it's almost like being a living dead.

Yu Tianlun continued, “Madam Ye, if we want to resolve the Gu poison in Commander Ye's body, after careful consideration, there are essentially two paths. First, we can take away the ‘meme carrier’ of this terrifying instance—that is, something deeply tainted by the rules and characteristics of this place, capable of continuously releasing ‘repelling Gu worms’ as an ominous omen. Second, we can obtain a ‘resentment crystal’ produced in this instance, containing the same rules and pollution characteristics, and use it as a basis to ingest it into Commander Ye's body, thereby completely suppressing the pustules and blood Gu within him.”

Upon hearing this, Lan Li frowned and silently chanted, "Shattered Resentment Crystals..."

Resentment Shards are extremely difficult to obtain. Every team goes to great lengths to acquire even one, yet none succeed.

The reincarnation system doesn't directly reward Resentment Crystals. Instead, you can only generate one Resentment Crystal by attacking ghosts with a weapon containing Resentment Crystals, thus contaminating the dungeon's rules. Even then, most of the crystals obtained are of low purity.

However, the resentment crystals obtained from different dungeons will also have the rule pollution ability unique to that dungeon. Whether used to generate weapons or to absorb them to develop rule-based skills, they are quite useful.

"Is there any hope of obtaining a meme carrier?" Lan Li pressed, feeling that acquiring the resentment crystal was far too risky. The probability of success would only be slightly higher if she directly contacted a rule-based evil spirit.

"As for the meme carrier..." Yu Tianlun's gaze swept over the solemn and majestic Mahavira Hall, filled with the sounds of chanting, and the monks who were busy moving about with different expressions. His eyes became deep. "According to the information revealed by Master Mingxin last night and our observations, that ancient well... is very likely one of the key nodes. Many anomalies in the temple seem to be related to it."

A resolute glint flashed in Lan Li's eyes: "In that case, shouldn't we try to enter the ancient well to search?"

"Madam Ye, absolutely not!" Yu Tianlun immediately objected, his tone grave. "The risk is too great! The bottom of the well is very likely connected to the core of this place's demonic barrier, or the deepest contaminated area. Entering rashly would be tantamount to walking into a trap. Moreover..."

He lowered his voice, speaking in a volume only the three of them could hear: "After what happened last night, I can no longer be sure whether the monks in this temple are still 'human'. Or rather, how many of them have been completely 'assimilated' into the rules of this place? Rushing to investigate the core could very well trigger a collective disturbance from them immediately."

These words sent a chill down the spines of both Lan Li and Jiang Jin.

Indeed, Huikong's experiences, Huiming's strange transformation, and those monks who seemed normal but always felt something was off... the temple itself was full of unbelievable eeriness.

Lan Li gritted her teeth, a deep-seated hatred appearing on her beautiful face: "I only hate that beast Li Yuanxiu, who's worse than a pig or a dog! If it weren't for him..."

Now, just mentioning that name makes her face contort.

Her voice trembled with rage, "I was so blind! I actually thought he was a promising talent, and even gave him two precious resentment crystals to help him improve! My husband also taught him everything he knew and helped him a lot... but he... he could accept all the benefits with a smile while plunging a poisoned dagger into my husband's chest without hesitation! Afterwards, he just dusted himself off and left, abandoning his team and father! If I ever see him again, I will tear him to pieces!"

At this point, her expression turned grim again: "And I'm worried that once they find out our intentions for coming to this instance, they might come here to stop us."

The Black Sparrow Pavilion is an organization without any scruples. As long as there are resentment crystals, it doesn't matter who they sell the information to. People from the Insect Nest could very well enter this Lanruo Temple instance.

Jiang Jin nodded solemnly, "Madam's concerns are very valid. Li Yuanxiu and the Insect Nest team behind him will never sit idly by and watch us find a way to save Commander Ye. Once Commander Ye awakens, the soul imprint within Di Nanyin's body will be revived, and his mission to assassinate Commander Ye will fail."

He then analyzed, "However, the good news is that the core high-level members of the Insect Nest, such as Lady Pussy and Lady White Night, are LV4 powerhouses who cannot enter directly due to the dungeon level restriction."

Yu Tianlun added, "Actually, as far as I know, Lady Pustuca is currently focused on reaching LV5, and has long since entrusted all team management matters to Lady Baiye. Therefore, Baiyewei, the vice-leader, is the de facto leader of the Insect Nest. She may not actually like Di Nanyin. If I were her, I would prefer to marry my daughter Bai Miya to Li Yuanxiu to win her over. However, she will definitely be wary of the suppression of the sorcerer class's abilities in this instance, especially now that the court has decided to eradicate the Insect Nest..." "Yes, I think so too," Lan Li continued, "So I deduce that the Insect Nest team is most likely to send its sub-teams, such as the 'Ghost Assassin Team' which is good at assassination and espionage, or the 'Abyss Team' which is good at inflicting negative status effects on reincarnators with curses. As for the strongest sub-team in the Insect Nest, the 'Hive Team' led by 'Poison Bee,' most of its members are sorcerers, and their strength would be greatly reduced in this instance that is extremely effective against Gu insects, so their chances of getting in are actually the smallest."

After a moment of silence, Lan Li steered the conversation back to the beginning, her eyes gleaming with determination: "Commander Yu, Mr. Jiang, regarding 'Nie Xiaoqian'... if she reappears, could we try applying a 'hunting mark' to her? If we can successfully locate her, we might be able to follow the clues and pinpoint 'Grandma's' exact location within the deep contamination layer! This could be the most direct and effective way to obtain 'meme carriers' or specific 'resentment crystal fragments'!"

Upon hearing this, both Yu Tianlun and Jiang Jin fell into deep thought.

After Jiang Jin upgraded to LV2, the limitations of the Hunting Curse Blade ability from LV1 no longer existed. Both blades and bullets could be imbued with the Hunting Mark and driven into the enemy's body. If it was the Ghost Eye Bullet, the power would be even greater, and it could work on both reincarnators and ghosts.

After a moment, Yu Tianlun slowly said, "Theoretically, it's feasible. If the 'hunting mark' can be successfully planted, it can indeed penetrate certain spatial barriers for tracking. But the problem is that the memetic contamination of this Lanruo Temple is extremely special; it seems to have divided space and even time into different 'layers.' The Nie Xiaoqian we see in the 'materialistic layer' might just be a projection of her in a deeper 'contaminated layer' or 'lost layer.' It's hard to say whether the mark can effectively penetrate such layered barriers and remain stable. Moreover, trying to locate 'Grandma' through 'Nie Xiaoqian'... is extremely risky and could very well trigger the most terrifying backlash."

Jiang Jin added, "Moreover, Nie Xiaoqian's existence is extremely mysterious, and whether she can be locked down by conventional mark skills is also unknown."

Lan Li insisted, "I understand the risks are great. But if we don't take risks and instead search methodically, the chances of obtaining a memetic carrier or a specific resentment crystal that can counteract LV4 level Gu poison will be even slimmer. This is the fastest and most likely way we can think of right now. Mr. Jiang, I heard that you came to this instance because you want to save your loved ones, isn't that right?"

Seeing the unwavering determination in her eyes, Jiang Jin also thought of his older brother, Jiang Han, who was still threatened by the scarecrow meme contamination.

Upon hearing Lan Li's bold suggestion, Yu Tianlun frowned even more deeply, slowly shook his head, and said in a solemn tone, "Madam Ye, I understand your eagerness to save your husband. But using the 'hunting mark' to lock onto Nie Xiaoqian... this method is too dangerous, and I cannot agree to it."

He paused, then continued, “My profession is ‘shaman,’ and I follow the path of ‘merging with the Tao.’ Madam, you should also be well aware that the so-called ‘Tao’ of the reincarnation system is completely different from the Taoist orthodox methods we know.”

His voice carried a hint of self-mockery and solemnity: "The 'Dao' here is essentially another name for 'rule pollution,' a collection of those distorted, insane, and indescribable alienating forces. 'Uniting with the Dao' is not about comprehending the universe and nature, but about actively adapting to, imitating, and ultimately being assimilated by a specific 'rule pollution' to gain power. It is precisely because I once advanced to LV4 Reincarnator that I know more clearly how bizarre and uncontrollable the essence of 'rule pollution' truly is."

He looked at Lan Li, his eyes sharp: "The 'contamination' of Lanruo Temple is extremely deep and has a very high priority. It can even instantly annihilate the curses of other systems. As part of its manifestation, Nie Xiaoqian's existence is likely far beyond our understanding. Using the 'Hunting Mark' on her is like trying to catch an invisible cloud of strong acid mist with a fishing net. Not only is it unlikely to succeed, but it may also instantly set the caster on fire, causing the caster to be corrupted and assimilated by the rules of Lanruo Temple, or even... directly become part of 'it'."

Yu Tianlun's denial is based on his profound understanding of the nature of rules, especially since he experienced the extremely terrifying "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" meme, which carries great weight.

Lan Li's face paled. In fact, given her status, she knew very well that Yu Tianlun was right.

She thought anxiously for a moment, then quickly came up with another idea: "What if we don't use the mark tracking? Let's try a different approach! What if... what if we use the 'Resentment Crystal Weapon' to directly attack Nie Xiaoqian! Then, generate 'Resentment Shards'!"

She looked at Jiang Jin and Yu Tianlun, her eyes filled with pleading and determination: "I'm willing to pay! I can use two... no, three higher purity resentment crystal fragments as payment to exchange for this crystal fragment that might save my husband's life!"

To be honest, she didn't really want to use this method.

This method of generating Resentment Crystals has a 20% success rate, which is practically a gamble. Even in extremely special dungeons like [Terror Resurgence], Jiang Jin can only achieve such a high crystal generation rate.

Jiang Jin stroked his chin, pondering, "Attack with a resentment crystal weapon... Yes, theoretically there's a chance of generating crystal fragments. But Madam, it's extremely difficult in practice. First, according to the temple rules and Huikong's experience, when encountering Nie Xiaoqian, the first priority is to close your eyes and recite the Diamond Sutra until you hear the sound of a neck breaking and the sound of a wooden fish drum on the ground before you can escape danger. In this process, will we have the strength to launch an attack? Second, will the attack anger her, or cause even more unpredictable consequences? For example... directly leading to the arrival of 'Grandma'?"

The three fell into deep thought again, carefully considering each possibility and possible response. The discussion focused on: how to balance self-preservation (chanting scriptures) and attack (obtaining crystal fragments) when encountering Nie Xiaoqian? How to choose the right time to attack? What type and strength of resentment crystal weapon would be most suitable? And how to plan an escape route should an unexpected situation arise?

They were so engrossed in their conversation that they did not notice a sinister-looking monk with cold eyes silently watching them from behind a huge pillar not far away, having overheard most of their conversation.

Another passing monk curiously patted him on the shoulder and said, "Brother Huiyuan, what are you looking at so intently?"

Huiyuan snapped out of his daze, his face instantly switching to a sorrowful expression. He clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, it's nothing. I was just looking at the abbot's mourning hall and feeling grief. I was just lost in thought."

He brushed it off, but out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Jiang Jin and the other two again, a subtle glint of something else flashing in his eyes.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of Lanruo Temple.

Several monks, acting as greeters, were stopping a group of newly arrived "pilgrims," ​​explaining with difficulty, "Esteemed guests, we apologize, but our temple is currently holding a funeral for our late abbot and we cannot receive outsiders today. Please come another day."

The woman leading the group was none other than Kim Suk-mi from the Bloody Gang.

She was in a terrible mood, but forced a look of pity and sincerity onto her face: "Masters, we came here because we heard that Abbot Mingxin was a highly respected monk and that he passed away today. We just wanted to offer incense to show our respect and send the master off on his final journey. Please do us a favor."

The team members behind her echoed her sentiments, but the impatience and anxiety hidden in their eyes were hard to conceal.

Just over ten minutes ago, Jin Shumei received a death order from the Blood Lord, who used his highest authority: at all costs, all personnel must immediately enter Lanruo Temple to find and "assist" the Xuanjia team in their operation!
This order made Jin Shumei's face turn extremely ugly, but no one dared to disobey the Blood Lord's orders. She could only bite the bullet and lead a group of disgruntled team members to "pay their respects".

"Damn it... if we had known this place was so cursed, our 'Bloodthirsty' squad shouldn't have taken this job in the first place..."

Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't let anyone hear you!

"Sister Jin, what's going on inside? Why did the commander suddenly give such an order?"

The team members complained in hushed tones, a sense of fear and discontent permeating the air.

While dealing with the guest monk, Kim Suk-mi quickly scanned the temple environment out of the corner of her eye.

When she saw Yu Tianlun, Jiang Jin, and Lan Li talking in hushed tones behind the main hall, her pupils contracted slightly.

“Yu Tianlun…and that Jiang Jin…”

(End of this chapter)