Stranger Danger-Chapter 1143: Six Taboos

The Myriad Buddha Plains was fairly cold even compared to the stormy, craggy terrain that was the snowy mountains. However, the weather was calm, and the terrain was level and smooth. Thanks to this, the trio were able to travel several times faster than usual. They would be traveling even faster if not for the fact that flying was forbidden in the Myriad Buddha Plains.

There were six taboos one must obey on the Myriad Buddha Plains. One, one must stay out of the dark. Two, one must fear the heart. Three, one must fear the body. Four, one must fear the sound. Five, one’s feet must be firmly planted on the ground. And six, one must not consume meat.

The first taboo existed because Myriad Buddha Plains became extremely dangerous during the night. The anomalies and Strangers were only trickier and deadlier than the last. That was why one must leave the Myriad Buddha Plains before it was dark.

The “heart” in the second taboo referred to a Buddhist’s heart. Specifically, it referred to those who worshiped a form of Buddhism that wasn’t the Mara Sect. If such a person were to set foot on the Myriad Buddha Plains, they would immediately suffer a forceful weakening and terrible curses. Not only would their Buddhist heart suffer, they would also attract all sorts of anomalous and evil dangers.

This was why Buddhist worshipers should not enter the Myriad Buddha Plains at all.

The “body” in the third taboo referred to both a Buddhist body and a Buddhist corpse. Buddhist corpses belonging to the Mara Sect often made an appearance on the Myriad Buddha Plains, and they were all powerful and anomalous. Those who did not escape in time or possess a weak will would be forcefully converted into a worshiper of the Mara Buddha Emperor.

Therefore, one must run as far away as possible when they see a Buddhist corpse.

The “sound” in the fourth taboo referred to a Buddhist sound. Here on Myriad Buddha Plains, it was quite common for Buddhist sounds such as mantra recitations to occur. In this situation, one must seal off their five senses and seven orifices immediately or risk being converted into a worshiper or the Mara Sect.

The fifth taboo forbade not just flying, but also running. Specifically, it forbade someone’s feet from leaving the ground at all. This was because the Mara Sect believed that lifting one’s feet from the earth was a form of disrespect toward the Mara Buddha Emperor. Only those whose feet were firmly planted on the ground were considered to have a sincere heart.

The Buddhist temples of the Mara Sect were sealed a long time ago, but this outdated rule somehow evolved to become an Anomaly and taboo of the Myriad Buddha Plains. Therefore, those whose feet left the ground—which was something that could easily happen if someone was flying or running—would encounter terrible dangers.

The sixth and final taboo forbade the consumption of meat, though “meat” here really only referred to cattle meat. This was because the Mara Buddha Emperor’s mount was a white bull, which led to the Mara Sect viewing all cattles as divine beasts. Of them all, the white bull was supreme. Therefore, it was strictly forbidden to slaughter cattle and consume cattle flesh within the sect.

Because of this, it was inadvisable to consume food made from cattle flesh on the Myriad Buddha Plains. Otherwise, bad things would happen to the person. Of course, slaughtering cattles on the Myriad Buddha Plains was even more inadvisable.

Of the six taboos, the first three taboos were more dangerous than the latter. So long as one avoided the six taboos, they should be able to make out of Myriad Buddha Plains safely.

As usual, there was really a seventh taboo on the Myriad Buddha Plains that was left unsaid. Humans themselves were one of, if not the biggest dangers of this land.

For example, the Buddhist thieves, treasure seekers, treasure hunters were all ruthless sonuvabitches. Given enough temptation, they did not mind masquerading as a bandit once in a while.

Besides that, the tomb raiders’ main source of profit was the Buddhist treasures inside the Buddhist temples. That was why they spent most of their time digging through the thick ice and looting the Buddhist temples. However, Buddhist treasures such as Strange Artifacts, martial arts manuals and more weren’t the only things that existed in the temples. There were also all sorts of dangers.

The Mara Sect might call themselves a Buddhist sect, but they acted and behaved no differently from demons. Naturally, their methods were just as demonic and strange. Curses, ghost puppeteering, corpse refining, Stranger puppeteering and more were just common practice to them. Not only that, the Mara Sect had suppressed countless Strangers and evils back when they were constructing the temples. A good number of them were contained inside their Buddhist temples. Naturally, they posed a serious threat to the tomb raiders as well.

Finally, Thousand Leaves Zen Master hadn’t just suppressed the temples when he reversed heaven and earth and sealed this entire plain. Countless Mara worshipers were trapped underneath the blue ice as well. It was entirely possible that some of these vengeful people had transformed into Strangers.

Therefore, no one could say if their excavation would lead to untold fortune or the Reaper until their shovels had struck the last chunk of ice. One misstep, and it wasn’t impossible for the entire party to be wiped out just like that.

Why were Buddhist corpses roaming on the Myriad Buddha Plains? Because these greedy assholes dug them out of the Buddhist temples, of course.

In conclusion, Myriad Buddha Plains was a dangerous place. No amount of caution was too much.

“Are those the Buddhist thieves?”

The trio didn’t go far before they saw a group of people excavating a Buddhist temple.

The group had set up many arrays and restrictions to keep anyone from observing their work, and even more people were standing guard in the shadows. It was useless to Ye Qing though. His spiritual power was high enough that he could easily pierce the defenses and observe everything he wished to see.

Strength wise, the group was frankly mediocre. Even the strongest warrior among them was just a Half-Step Trueman. However, what they lacked in individual strength, they made up with sublime teamwork and specialized Strange Artifacts and tools. It took them little time to dig an oval-shaped hole on the blue ice aimed straight at the rooftop of a stupa.

Once the hole was ready, three petite men sporting sharp eyes took the center stage. They were dressed in black hemp garments and wearing a black blood rope around their waist. They expertly slid down the hole and landed on top of the stupa.

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“Tsk. For tomb raiders, they’re quite professional.”

Not far away, Yi Pin was observing the tomb raiders as well. But unlike Ye Qing, who had brute-forced his way through the arrays and restrictions using his immense spiritual power, the old Taoist was wearing a pair of glowing copper coins like it was a pair of glasses. Whatever they were, it allowed Yi Pin to observe what was happening inside the arrays.

“What do you mean?” Ye Qing asked uncaringly.

“You notice how petite the three men who just went down the hole? They have long slender arms and fingers as well. This is the ideal build for a tomb raider.”

Yi Pin explained, “A petite build allows one to crawl through most gaps. A pair of long arms allow one to probe openings, and slender fingers make it easy to take objects. Besides that, the shirt, the blood rope they’re wearing around their waist, and the pendant they’re wearing around their neck are specialized tools as well.”

“The shirt is called a Hemp Shirt. It is sewn using the hemp rope a filial son or a family member wears during a funeral. If I’m not mistaken, the hemp rope was worn by a truly filial son as well. Shirts made from such a rope will confuse a corpse or a dead soul into thinking that the wearer is a family member. This will keep them from returning to unlife and punish the tomb raiders.”

“The blood rope is a black dog’s tendons basked in chicken blood. Not only is it extremely sturdy, it can repel evil and is immune to water or fire.”

“The pendant they’re wearing is called the Corpse Touching Talisman. It is both an identifier and a form of protection that secures one’s mind and fortune.”

While Yi Pin was speaking, the trio had moved to the back of the stupa and produced a golden candle from their shirt. They lit it on the northwest corner of the stupa, causing a bright golden light to spread slowly like dye in a barrel of water.

“A human lights, and a ghost extinguishes. That candle is no ordinary candle. It is called the God Respecting Candle, and you ignite it to pay your respects to a ghost or a god. For as long as the candle remains alight, a tomb raider may seek their treasures. If it goes out, then it means that it is time to leave.”

After the candle was lit, another person produced a mirror from their shirt and placed it on top of the stupa. The mirror’s surface slowly rippled like water as it grew brighter and brighter.

It was at this moment one person pressed their hand against the mirror. Surprisingly, his arm passed right through the mirror.

“That is the Round Light Mirror. It allowed one to ignore the laws of space and physicality within a small range. To put it simply, it allowed the tomb raider to grab something from the stupa without having to breach it.”

Yi Pin’s eyes lit up when he saw the mirror. “However, the Round Light Mirror can only be forged by the Round Light Gang. Moreover, there are only a handful of Round Light Mirrors in this world. Whoever this group is, the fact that they managed to obtain a Round Light Mirror proves that they are no ordinary group!”