Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 291 The Witch-Hunting Crossbow and the Bloody Decomposition Technique
The thick, grayish-white fog seemed to have a life of its own, not only swallowing up light and scenery, but also eroding Jiang Jin's sanity.

He was separated from Su Wan, and no matter how he called out, he was only met with hollow echoes and even more rampant evil whispers in the mist.

On his Reincarnator Watch, his SAN value had fallen below 50%, reaching the dangerous range of 43%! This meant that his mind had already stepped into the abyss of the Lost Layer, and the boundaries between illusion and reality, self and madness were becoming blurred.

A strong sense of mortal threat jolted Jiang Jin back to his senses, bringing him back to his senses for a fleeting moment as he teetered on the edge of unconsciousness. He suddenly remembered the ring that Blood Lord had given to the Nirvana team as compensation—a ring protecting them from memetic contamination!

Without hesitation, he took it out of his watch and put it on his finger.

The moment the ring touched his skin, a cool sensation rippled outwards like water, temporarily dispelling some of the noise and distorted illusions in his mind, and forming a weak but crucial protective force field around his body.

Taking advantage of this brief moment of clarity, he cast aside all distractions, fully trusting his soul link with Deathstroke, and followed the path that the Ashhound had painstakingly carved out in the mist, moving forward step by step.

I don't know how long I walked, it felt like I had traversed endless chaos, and the fog in front of me suddenly thinned out!
The next moment, Jiang Jin suddenly rushed out of the mist and saw that twisted and eerie tree again!
It stands in the center of an open space shrouded in mist, seemingly the source of all evil.

Almost at the same moment Jiang Jin stepped out of the mist, he felt the cool sensation emanating from the ring being rapidly consumed and neutralized by the dense malice surrounding him. After all, this was a one-time consumable item with a time limit.

Countless invisible, resentful gazes were cast from the mist and the shadows of the tree trunks, but they seemed to be temporarily blocked by the residual power of the ring, unable to get close to him directly!
"Death knell!" Jiang Jin shouted in a low voice.

Without needing any further commands, the enhanced Deathstroke shot out like an arrow, transforming into a gray shadow and darting into the roots of the strange tree!
The thing is in there!

Jiang Jin gripped the boning knife tightly, fully alert, feeling the ring's power rapidly dissipating. Time seemed to stretch out, each second feeling like an eternity.

at last!

The shadow beneath the tree roots stirred, and Death Knell suddenly emerged!

It was carrying an object in its mouth—a small crossbow that exuded a murderous aura!

The crossbow body was dark red, as if it had been soaked in dried blood, while the bowstring was an extremely eerie black, emanating a very ominous aura.

The moment Jiang Jin touched the crossbow, a notification from the Reincarnation System appeared in his left eye:

"Reincarnator Jiang Jin, you have obtained a special item: [Bloodstained Witch Hunter Crossbow]"

Appearance: This crossbow is dark red with a black bowstring. It was used to hunt down the infamous witch Mary Townesda, and the bow is permanently stained with the witch's dark blood.

Effect/Limitation: Consuming 2% SAN to fire a crossbow bolt has a strong restraining and damaging effect on Lost Layer Evil Spirits and their creations. Consuming 5% SAN to fire a crossbow bolt will deal some damage to Oblivion Layer Evil Spirits and their creations.

Jiang Jin was overjoyed!

This was precisely his goal for this trip! With this weapon, his chances of defeating the evil spirit Basshiba of the Peren family would greatly increase! Moreover, he wouldn't be completely without a fighting chance when entering the [Midnight Ring] horror instance!

However, joy is fleeting.

Just as he gripped the crossbow, the defensive ring on his finger let out a final, faint groan!
Then, the light completely dimmed, and with a "crack," cracks appeared on the surface, and it lost all its spirituality, becoming a piece of junk.

Almost at the same instant the ring failed, the mist that had just begun to calm around them surged wildly again! It was thicker and colder than before!
A will filled with extreme resentment and rage descended as if it were a tangible reality! The curse of the witch Mary Tom Esther was utterly enraged by the appearance of this weapon that had once ended her life!

"Hehehe..." Faint, cold laughter came from all directions, and countless twisted figures seemed to be swaying in the mist.

Jiang Jin quickly put away the crossbow; he knew now was not the time to study it. He gripped the boning knife tightly with both hands, maximizing his hunter's senses. Just then, the Reincarnation System notification reappeared:
"Reincarnator Jiang Jin, the reincarnation system has detected that you are in a highly polluted environment. The conditions for advancing the [Blood Decomposition Technique] have been triggered."

"Requirement to unlock the third effect: Use a melee weapon to successfully deal effective damage (at least once) to the witch-like evil spirit itself or its core curse carrier."

New ability unlock conditions!

Jiang Jin had almost forgotten that, yes, the Blood Disintegration Technique, the hunter's hidden class skill, did indeed have a third and fourth effect, but it couldn't be unlocked at LV1.

His eyes narrowed, which meant he had to confront this terrifying witch head-on, at least by landing a blow on her with Chen's boning knife!

Just then, the mist behind him churned, and Su Wan emerged somewhat disheveled. The Annabelle doll in her hand had its eyes emitting an eerie red light, seemingly helping her resist some of the mist's corrosive influence. Su Wan now felt the overwhelming witch's will, and her expression became extremely grave.

"Did you get the item?" Su Wan asked quickly, her gaze sweeping over the boning knife in Jiang Jin's hand and his obviously exhausted state.

"Got it! But I've attracted the attention of the main culprit!" Jiang Jin said succinctly. "I need to land a blow on her! Create an opportunity for me!"

Without wasting words, Su Wan held Annabelle in front of her and began chanting obscure witch incantations.

Annabelle's resentment was stirred up, creating a fierce conflict with the witch's curse and interfering with the formation of the mist to some extent.

"Roar!" Deathstroke roared as well, opening his ghostly domain. The gray mist tried to fight against the witch's fog, creating space for Jiang Jin.

Amidst the mist, a blurry, terrifying figure, dressed in a tattered robe, with skin as dry and wrinkled as tree bark, gradually materialized and appeared!

She hovered in mid-air, her eyes two empty black holes, radiating endless malice, staring intently at Jiang Jin—or rather, at the witch-hunting crossbow he had just acquired!
She let out a silent shriek, and the surrounding mist instantly transformed into countless cold, black-clad ghostly hands that reached out to grab Jiang Jin and Su Wan!
"Attack!" Su Wan shouted sharply. Anna's doll eyes blazed red, and an invisible shockwave of resentment crashed into the witch's phantom, causing her solidified form to falter slightly!
It's now!

Jiang Jin channeled all his strength into his legs, showcasing the hunter's agility and explosive power!
Like a cheetah pouncing on its prey, he narrowly avoided the claws of several ghostly hands, and with a piercing shriek as the boning knife tore through the air, he thrust it fiercely toward the witch's phantom chest!
The witch let out an angry roar, and her withered claws lashed out at the boning knife!

laugh--!
The blade collided with the cursed spirit, producing a corrosive sound!

Jiang Jin felt a huge, cold force rebound back, and his tiger's mouth split open, bleeding profusely!

But he gripped the hilt tightly, and with his strong willpower and the hunter's dedication to "hunting," he pushed the tip of the knife forward a little further!
Although it did not cause serious damage, the blade did touch and harm the source of the witch's curse!
"Reincarnator Jiang Jin, you have successfully inflicted effective damage on the evil spirit! The third effect of [Blood Decomposition Technique] has been unlocked!"

"【Bloody Disintegration】Effect 3: For targets already damaged by the 'Bloody Disintegration' ability (this effect can also affect some Annihilation Layer Evil Spirits), 3% SAN value can be consumed to imprint a hidden 'Blood Curse Mark' on their soul or energy core. While the mark is active, it can slightly increase subsequent damage to the target and has a very low chance to trigger 'Curse Backlash,' causing the target's next attack or skill to fail or have its effect weakened."

It looks like a fully enhanced version of the Hunter's Curse Blade!

Having landed a successful blow, Jiang Jin didn't linger and immediately withdrew!

Almost the instant he stepped back, the spot where he had been standing was engulfed by more ghostly hands and a powerful dark shockwave!
"Let's go!" Jiang Jin shouted to Su Wan.

Knowing she couldn't fight them head-on, Su Wan manipulated Annabelle to temporarily hold off the witch. The two of them and the dog turned around without hesitation and headed back the way they came. Guided by the death knell and with a slight advantage from their newly unlocked abilities, they plunged back into the vast fog, beginning an even more perilous escape...

Meanwhile, in the basement of the Perrin family home.

Blood Lord brought Lian Xuan here. Their goal was to find the spirit of Ms. Walker, who in the original story was also possessed by the witch Basshiba, ultimately killing her own child before hanging herself.

“According to the original movie plot, that woman was completely controlled by the witch’s evil spirit,” Blood Lord’s voice sounded particularly cold in the basement. “She killed her own child, and then here… she ended her life in exactly the same way as Basshiba. That is absolute evil, which the witch used to attack everything that God cherished, to express praise for the devil. There is not a trace of humanity left.”

As Lian Xuan listened, he immediately felt a chill run up from the back of his neck.

As a medium, he could feel more clearly the pain and madness that had settled here, a darkness that was completely twisted and beyond redemption.

"Hearing you say that, those ordinary wandering souls who are controlled by evil spirits and are still bound to this house seem... rather pitiful." Lian Xuan couldn't help but say in a low voice, as he thought of the coerced boy Rory and the maid's ghost.

"Pitiful?" Blood Lord scoffed, his tone full of disdain. "What's there to pity? It's all about the victor and the vanquished, the survival of the fittest. In the cycle of reincarnation, to have sympathy for your enemies is to be cruel to yourself. I have no sympathy for my enemies, whether they are living or ghosts."

Lian Xuan recalled the rumors about the Blood Lord's past—how he cruelly hunted down other reincarnators to perform forbidden techniques to reach LV3—and felt a chill run down his spine. Indeed, he was a true demon who treated human life as worthless.

Suddenly, Blood Lord changed the subject, asking seemingly casually, "Lian Xuan, considering your connection with Zhi Ping, if you two brothers are interested, you can join our team's branch."

He paused, his tone calm yet undeniably authoritative: "Having lost both the Shadow Blade and Crimson divisions, I do need to rebuild. From what I've observed so far, you brothers are indeed quite capable."

After all, these two brothers work together with great coordination, and can even kill LV3 reincarnators who are above their level. For Blood Lord, they are indeed worth cultivating.

(End of this chapter)