Encountering Descenders and News of Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng

When Lin Xiao emerged from the basement, he saw the village already engulfed in flames. People were still setting fires everywhere within the stronghold. He raised an eyebrow, but before he could do anything, the arsonists spotted him first.

Li Feng watched Lin Xiao emerge from the room where the basement was located. At first, he thought it was a straggler from the village hiding there, but he quickly realized that the person's every move exuded the bearing of a master, making him unlikely to be a mere bandit. So...

He cupped his hands from afar and shouted, "Are you the hero who annihilated Black Cloud Village?"

Lin Xiao didn't answer. Instead, he looked at them with a strange expression and retorted, "Are you Descenders?"

Li Feng was taken aback for a moment, then immediately chuckled, "So we're on the same side. That's great."

The group relaxed and walked over. The leader, Li Feng, said, "I didn't expect to meet a Descender here. My name is Li Feng, from the Thunder Domain. May I ask where you..."

"Qingze Domain. Not in the same region as you."

Lin Xiao had heard of this place. It was a massive floating continent in the Fourth Ring of the Primordial Gate, the area closest to the Primordial Gate outside the New Immortal Realm.

According to the New Immortal Realm's classification, the most central areas surrounding the Primordial Gate were all fragments of the original Immortal Realm, including fragments of the ancient Heavenly Court. This was now the New Immortal Realm.

Outside the core area, the First, Second, and Third Rings formed the Inner Circle. The fragments that made up this region were basically powerful world fragments from ancient times or Immortal Realm fragments whose immortal energy had dissipated. They were also known as the New Earth Immortal Realm. According to the geographical divisions of the ancient Earth Immortal Realm, the four directions—east, south, west, and north—were the East Victory Divine Continent, the South Continent of Jambudvipa, the West Ox Continent, and the North Kuru Continent, respectively.

The four continents each occupied a direction, spanning the Three-Ring Immortal Domain.

Beyond the Third Ring were the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Rings, and even further out, all belonging to the Immortal Domain. Theoretically, they were all on the same level, but in reality, the closer one got to the New Immortal Realm, the stronger the spiritual energy would be, and the families and sects living there would naturally be more powerful.

Hearing that Lin Xiao was from beyond the Seventh Ring, the smile on Li Feng's face gradually faded. He asked, "Were all the bandits in this village killed by you?"

From "Your Excellency" to "you" in such a short time was quite telling.

However, Lin Xiao didn't mind. They weren't on the same path anyway. He nodded and said, "I was traveling and saw these bandits doing too much harm. I couldn't stand it, so I killed them. Oh, right,"

He pointed to the house he had come out of, "There's a basement in there with all the village's treasures. I don't need them, so you can go collect them."

"Thanks."

Li Feng cupped his hands.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. Perhaps we'll meet again someday."

Lin Xiao waved his hand, preparing to leave, but Li Feng called out to him. He turned back to see Li Feng hesitate for a moment before saying, "Do you know about the Thirteen Riders of Saibei and King Dushan?"

"The Thirteen Riders of Saibei? King Dushan?"

Lin Xiao nodded.

"I know King Dushan, the overlord of the north and the master of Dushan Fortress. I haven't heard of the Thirteen Riders of Saibei. They sound like they're from Saibei. Is there a connection? Are they also Descenders?"

"It seems you really don't know."

Li Feng said, "They aren't Descenders. The Thirteen Riders of Saibei are a group of bandits who roam the Yanbei region. Every one of them is a master of the second-rate level or above, and their top-ranked members are all first-rate martial artists. They are incredibly formidable, but most importantly, they all belong to King Dushan."

Lin Xiao listened intently as Li Feng introduced them:

"A while ago, the Goryeo Kingdom presented tribute to the Great Kang Dynasty. When they were nearing Shanhaiguan Pass, they were targeted and robbed by the Thirteen Riders of Saibei. All thirty carts of treasure were stolen. Most critically, this tribute included a Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng."

"Hmm!"

Lin Xiao, who hadn't been paying much attention, suddenly became interested and asked, "Is the news reliable?"

"Absolutely reliable. This was tribute from the Goryeo Kingdom, so there's no mistake."

"How long ago did this happen?"

"Half a month ago."

Li Feng said, "This matter is causing a huge stir in the Northern Martial Arts World. Countless martial arts masters want to get a piece of the pie. Even if they can't get the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, the other tribute items are all treasures. Stealing just one would make them rich."

"Is that so!"

Lin Xiao rubbed his chin and asked, "Do you know where they are now?"

"They're still in Saibei. As soon as the tribute was stolen, the General of Shanhaiguan Pass was informed and dispatched a large army to encircle them. They are still outside the pass and haven't entered."

"Right, the Thirteen Riders of Saibei are King Dushan's men. King Dushan, upon hearing of this, will likely send experts to meet them. Whether it's the Twin Dragon Envoys, the Four Symbols Dharma Kings, or the Twelve Dushan Emissaries, they are all super first-rate martial artists. If they manage to rendezvous, it will be difficult to seize anything."

Lin Xiao nodded and cupped his fists.

"Thank you for the information. I'm leaving now. Farewell, and we'll meet again!"

"We'll meet again!"

With that, he turned and left.

After Lin Xiao and the others watched him go, his subordinate asked, "Boss, why tell him the news? He's just a bumpkin from the Seventh Ring. Is there a need to curry favor with him?"

He smiled faintly, "Although he's from the Seventh Ring, his cultivation in this world is higher than ours. Besides, this news isn't a secret; it'll be common knowledge soon enough. It's better to do him a favor now; it might be useful later."

"Boss is brilliant!"

Li Feng laughed heartily and waved his hand, "Let's go check the treasury. We might have just made a fortune for nothing."

Leaving Black Cloud Village, Lin Xiao oriented himself and headed north, crossing mountains and ridges. His exquisite Lightness Skill allowed him to glide over treetops one after another without touching the ground. Before long, the burning Black Cloud Village was just a small speck in the distance behind him.

He wasn't interested in Black Cloud Village's wealth, nor their tribute. What he coveted was that Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng; that was truly a treasure.

Ginseng was already highly nourishing. It changed every hundred years, and a Hundred-Year Old Ginseng was formidable. By the thousand-year mark, it underwent a qualitative transformation. This was considered a good item even in mid-tier or high-tier worlds. Even in high-tier immortal-hero worlds like Shushan, a Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was a valuable ingredient for refining advanced Spirit Pills.

If refining a Hundred-Year Old Ginseng could yield ten Potential Points, then the medicinal power of a Thousand-Year Ginseng, once refined, would grant not just a hundred points, but possibly hundreds or even more.

It was precisely because of this that he was interested. Otherwise, a mere hundred Potential Points wouldn't be enough to make him travel so far beyond the pass.

He wasn't worried about the Thousand-Year Ginseng being consumed prematurely. This thing was incredibly potent, its medicinal properties many times stronger than a Hundred-Year Old Ginseng. Lin Xiao dared to chew and refine a Hundred-Year Old Ginseng directly, but he didn't have the capacity for a Thousand-Year Ginseng. He would need to prepare some milder herbs to neutralize it, and he could only consume a root tendril or a small segment at a time. Any more, and his body wouldn't be able to withstand the terrifying potency and would explode.

The Thirteen Riders of Saibei had been under constant siege by the imperial army since they intercepted the tribute, leaving them no time to prepare it slowly. Moreover, King Dushan also desired it, so they might not dare to consume it.