973: Chapter 969 Holy Land Varanasi 973: Chapter 969 Holy Land Varanasi If it were in the past, Ye Tian wouldn’t have known the source of this force, but after sparring with martial artists like Wang Cai and Kara, Ye Tian could clearly discern that the force attacking his mind was none other than the divine force.
In other words, hidden within the waters of the Ganges River is the power of a god!
And this divine force is invading his brain, attempting to take control of his mind…
Of course, to a martial artist like Ye Tian, while this force may be divine, it is far too minuscule to pose any threat at all.
Instead, it’s only because of Ye Tian’s meticulous mind that he can feel its presence!
As for Black Widow and Dracula, who also touched the Ganges water alongside Ye Tian, neither sensed a thing…
“Hah!
It’s just ordinary river water, isn’t it?
What’s the big deal?”
“I agree.
Compared to the water of the Danube, this is way inferior!”
Black Widow and Dracula couldn’t help but ridicule.
Ye Tian looked at the pair’s expressions and gained a deeper understanding of the Ganges water’s effects.
Within the waters of the Ganges River lies trace amounts of divine power.
This power is incredibly weak, so ordinary people can’t perceive it, and even martial artists are unlikely to sense its existence.
Only martial artists with exceptional insight, like Ye Tian, who also know what divine force is, can detect it…
The divine power within the Ganges water has no effect whatsoever on those with strong willpower or martial artists.
However, for those with fragile minds, the force will subtly erode them over time until they fall completely under its control.
In this world, the weak are the overwhelming majority.
Hence, the power within the Ganges water can erode most of humanity…
“It’s nothing special, so let’s not bother washing our hands here for the moment!”
Ye Tian chuckled, persuading Black Widow and Dracula, who promptly rose and walked away from the riverbank.
They arrived at the fringes of the city of Varanasi…
The holy city of Varanasi is divided into the inner city, the outer city, and the sacred city.
The outer city lies on the outskirts, the inner city in the middle, and the sacred city within.
Once you enter the city gates, you can access the outer city of Varanasi.
Before the Feast of the Virgin begins, Varanasi is neither regulated nor guarded.
Hence, any Indian citizen can freely enter the city.
However, Ye Tian did not immediately enter the outer city.
Instead, his gaze lingered on the ascetic monks beneath the city gates.
The ascetic monks of Hinduism are the most numerous among all religious groups globally.
Their purpose in practicing asceticism is to experience pain, believing that through pain, they can express their devotion.
To Hindu devotees, ascetic monks are revered and considered saints.
But in Ye Tian’s eyes, this wasn’t quite the case!
Looking at these ascetics: One man held his left hand high in the air, so stiff it could no longer come down; another man, shirtless, bore scars all over his body and continued to self-harm incessantly; yet another was so filthy and foul-smelling that he hadn’t bathed in decades…
Having uncovered the secret of the Ganges water, Ye Tian understood that their actions weren’t solely driven by faith.
A large part of the reason lay in the impact of the divine force within the Ganges water, which had thrown their minds into complete turmoil.
In layman’s terms, these ascetics had already gone mad.
Aside from their twisted expressions of devotion to their god, they knew nothing else.
“What is a god?
If this is the kind of god it is, it’s better to destroy it!”
Ye Tian muttered under his breath before entering the outer city.
With local citizens still around, Black Widow and Dracula were startled!
“Boss, your voice seemed a bit loud there!
If a nosy listener catches wind of it, it might stir up trouble again!”
“Yeah, boss, should we stir something up here or what?”
Black Widow and Dracula gently urged Ye Tian to restrain himself.
He stopped talking and followed them into the gates of Varanasi.
This was Varanasi’s outer city—although not the sacred heart of this holy land, it was still bustling!
All the citizens, men and women alike, were Hindu devotees…
Because India had already expelled all foreigners, the streets of Varanasi’s outer city were devoid of anyone wearing foreign attire.
People dressed uniformly in traditional Indian garments filled the streets.
Since Ye Tian, Black Widow, and Dracula had already donned traditional Indian clothing, they were indistinguishable within the crowd and could seamlessly blend in.
“Boss, there are too many people here.
In my view, we should find a place to stay first!”
Black Widow suggested, and Ye Tian nodded in agreement.
Soon, the trio arrived at a well-decorated inn.
Being a historic city, Varanasi had no modern five-star hotels, only antique inns.
When the trio booked their rooms, only a few remained vacant, driving the lodging fees to exorbitant rates.
Thankfully, the three had prepared ample funds before their journey to India, so the costs weren’t a concern…
Once they settled into their rooms, Ye Tian gazed out his window at the dense crowds below, resembling swarms of ants.
Elsewhere, such a congregation of people might constitute a demonstration.
But in a place like Varanasi, this was perfectly commonplace.
Ye Tian wasn’t observing the crowd for its spectacle but to scrutinize the people of Varanasi…
Using his clairvoyant ability, Ye Tian could clearly see the inner circulation of energy within each individual.
He could discern the strength of their life force and whether power was concentrated in their Dantian, indicating martial proficiency.
Through observation, Ye Tian discovered that among the crowds participating in the procession within Varanasi’s outer city, there were virtually no martial artists.
Since there were no martial artists involved, it was evident these people were here solely for the Feast of the Virgin.
All of them were devout Hindu practitioners!
After observing the crowd for some time, Ye Tian saw that Black Widow and Dracula had finished settling in, and both entered his room.
“Let’s head out for a look, then!”
Ye Tian said coolly, leading Black Widow and Dracula out of the inn and into the procession.
The procession’s participants clasped their hands together, expressing reverence toward their god.
Ye Tian and the others mimicked them to avoid suspicion.
All participants were devout believers.
Although part of the procession, they lacked any violent tendencies, allowing Ye Tian and the others to safely join in the crowd…
The procession moved throughout Varanasi’s outer city.
Taking advantage of this, Ye Tian explored the entirety of the outer city and took in its sights!
Varanasi’s outer city was composed of ancient houses and temples.
Apart from the multitude of Hindu devotees, monks could be seen frequently…
These monks were unlike those empowered by the force of nature, such as Akisha’s three monks.
They were ordinary monks who lacked the status or divine authority of Brahmin priests in Hinduism.
The outer city was vast, so after circling it with the procession all day, night had fallen…
In Varanasi, a curfew is enforced in the evening.
Residents and visitors alike are prohibited from leaving their homes at night, including Ye Tian and his team.
Thus, Ye Tian, Black Widow, and Dracula had no choice but to return to their inn.
After dinner, the trio gathered in Ye Tian’s room again.
For skilled individuals like them, the curfew posed little threat…
“Alice, have you drawn the map of Varanasi’s outer city?”
Ye Tian directly asked Black Widow.
Their participation in the procession wasn’t merely for sightseeing—they had a critical goal: mapping the outer city.
Once the map was completed, their future operations within Varanasi’s outer city would be much smoother!
“Naturally!”
Black Widow nodded confidently.
She excelled in this field.
Once she visited a place, it would be etched into her memory.
She unveiled a sheet of paper with a meticulously drawn map of Varanasi’s outer city.
Buildings, residences, inns, eateries, temples—the outer city was laid out in vivid detail.
“Excellent!
Excellent!”
Ye Tian smiled and praised her work.
He was highly satisfied with the map Black Widow had produced.
“Since the map is ready, let’s set out and see for ourselves!”
Ye Tian commanded, and the three quickly changed into their night gear.
Their pitch-black outfits allowed them to blend seamlessly into the night, making it difficult for anyone to spot them as long as their Qinggong was good.
During the procession, Ye Tian had paid particular attention to the border between Varanasi’s outer and inner cities…
Compared to the bustling outer city, the inner city was much quieter, forming a stark contrast.
More notably, as the procession passed near the entrance to the inner city, the crowd avoided it, keeping a significant distance as if afraid to approach…
Ye Tian chose not to inquire further about why Hindu devotees were so wary of the inner city, as he didn’t want to arouse suspicion.
“Swish!”, “Swish!”, “Swish!”
Dressed in their night gear, Ye Tian, Black Widow, and Dracula leaped from the window and landed on the street outside.
Their figures blended into the night, almost impossible to detect.
Thus, they moved freely, unimpeded through the streets.