Yun Ziliang nodded and said, "The one with turtle shells on his back is trapped by the ’Floating Ghost Water’ tattoo map among the three Forbidden Tattoo Maps. The Calculus Masters mostly come from the Dun Jia Tangkou, with a small portion from the Stargazing Tangkou."
"The Floating Ghost Water Map represents the deity of Dun Jia, ’Nine Palaces.’ It is completely normal for the Calculus Masters to fail in their predictions—it is the handiwork of the Ancestor Master. How could it be broken so easily?"
Zhou Xuan, upon hearing this, finally understood why the tattoo Tangkou was considered one of the Three Forbidden Halls by Jing Country. A single map could doom a prominent family, driving them into extinction after five generations, sealing their lineage forever...
"So, when the tattoo maps are used for good, they define a Tattoo Master; used for evil, they create Tattoo Evil Ghosts.
Yun Ziliang spoke further, educating Zhou Xuan about the origins of the Forbidden Tattoo Maps.
"The three tattoo maps come from three Tangkou deities who once observed forbidden lands within the human realm.
The three forbidden lands are Floating Ghost Water, White Bone Longevity Mountain, and the Great Mother Star Pit.
Floating Ghost Water is the vast river filled with floating corpses, a forbidden land predicted by the deity ’Nine Palaces’ of Dun Jia Tangkou.
Any who mistakenly enter this river will inevitably become one of its floating corpses.
White Bone Longevity Mountain was sensed and explored by the Shaman deity ’Eternal Life Sect Leader.’ This mountain is piled high with white bones. Every winter, it emits a rumbling thunder. Those who enter this mountain are scorched by lightning, their flesh burned away, leaving them as white bones adding to the mountain’s mass.
The Great Mother Star Pit is the blood-stained pit depicted in the tattoo map you mentioned. This map is the most sinister of all. It was observed by the deity ’Star Lord’ of Stargazing Tangkou, who witnessed a falling star plummeting from the Heavenly Dome.
When the falling star hit the ground, it created a natural, enormous mother-like forbidden zone within the Mingjiang Prefecture mountain ranges.
If a living person steps into this mother-like zone, they will be consumed by it, becoming a part of the mother zone itself."
Zhou Xuan’s expression suddenly brightened upon hearing this—wasn’t the Great Mother Star Pit precisely what served as his Totem Hall when he learned tattoo craftsmanship?
When he first joined the Totem Hall, he felt as though that vast realm resembled a massive Mother Palace. The earth felt alive like flesh, while the sky was a pulsing purple hue. It even revealed faint traces of vein-like patterns with every inhale and exhale.
The "Great Mother Star Pit" Yun Ziliang described matched the Totem Hall exactly.
"Forbidden Tattoo Maps originate from forbidden lands within the human realm. To make these tattoos truly effective, one needs to meditate."
The more one captures the intricate details of the forbidden land while meditating, the stronger the effect of the tattoo map."
At this point, Zhou Xuan was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Lao Yun, I already have the tattoo map. If I just tattoo it onto human skin or a living person’s body, why do I still need extra meditation?"
For the first five Incenses tattoo maps, he did exactly that without any additional meditation.
Yun Ziliang explained, "From the sixth Incense onward, your tattoos are no longer complete maps. Take this ’Floating Ghost Water’ forbidden tattoo map as an example."
Therefore, you need to meditate. After listening to my description, you can refine these details in your mind.
The more details you add, the stronger the effect of the Forbidden Tattoo Map will be."
Of course, to create truly optimal Forbidden Tattoo Maps, one needs to personally venture deep into the three forbidden lands within the human world and witness the extreme yin energy of the forbidden lands firsthand.
"After all, hearing a hundred times does not compare to seeing once. Relying solely on my verbal descriptions will inevitably lead to discrepancies."
Yun Ziliang added, "During my Dragon Seeking journey, I only observed White Bone Longevity Mountain and Floating Ghost Water from a distance. Among them, Floating Ghost Water was clearer to me. I will describe its appearance for you to meditate upon carefully..."
"That won’t be necessary, Lao Yun. I am confident I can create the tattoo map of ’Great Mother Star Pit.’
Since the Forbidden Tattoo Map achieves its best effect only after witnessing the forbidden land personally,
then the tattoo Zhou Xuan intends to create is ’Great Mother Star Pit.’ After all, he not only saw this forbidden land with his own eyes but even traversed every inch of its terrain."
Compared to Floating Ghost Water or White Bone Longevity Mountain, he was far more familiar with it.
"The Great Mother Star Pit receded into the human world hundreds of years ago. I’ve never seen it myself. Are you sure you can do it?"
Yun Ziliang was puzzled by Zhou Xuan’s choice.
"Don’t worry. I’ve got this."
Zhou Xuan instructed the others, "Same old rules. I go into the pit, while you guard the entrance."
"Young Master, please wait," the Painter stopped Zhou Xuan, concerned that this tattoo might not turn out well, and suggested, "About the Great Mother Star Pit, our Bone Elder Association has ancient records of it. Perhaps I can describe its appearance for you..."
You all have either observed the forbidden land from afar or read ancient texts. How could that compare to my own experiences of roaming the Great Mother Star Pit?
Zhou Xuan decisively refused the Painter and leaped into the pit.
He first cleared the five organs placed on the Divine Platform, then retrieved human skin from his pocket, placing it carefully on the platform.
"Great Mother Star Pit."
Murmuring the forbidden name of the pit, Zhou Xuan meditated upon everything he had seen in the Totem Hall—
——Ground covered in short flesh-like buds, a purple sky resembling stretched skin, Totem Hall adorned with infant-filled Peach Blossom Ancestor Trees, and faint sounds of crying echoing throughout.
As the details of the forbidden land grew fuller in his mind, the Bone Teeth hovering before him began to exhibit an intense emotion of excitement and agitation, as though desperate to surge forward like a wild horse, ready to carve freely on the human skin before him.