Golden Eagle Envoy of Dushan Fortress

As he left the hidden inn, there were no other Descenders to be seen on the main street.

He didn't bother with the shock value and used his exquisite Lightness Skill to cross the city walls. He took out his map, checked it, set his bearings, and quickly headed in one direction.

The purpose of buying the map was for this. He had never been outside the pass before, so how would he know where Zushan Mountain and Longtan Gully were? Without a map, he wouldn't even know which way to go.

According to the map, Zushan Mountain was a mountain range north of Shanhaiguan Pass, and the Great Wall passed through it. Longtan Gully was located north of Zushan Mountain, precisely north of the Great Wall. The Thirteen Riders of Saibei were likely planning to cross the Great Wall from here into the pass.

Longtan Gully was already in the mountains. It was a dry riverbed and one of the few roads nearby for large-scale crossings of the Great Wall. It was said that a section of the Great Wall nearby was located within the valley, with lower terrain, making it easier to cross.

However, the commander of Shanhaiguan Pass would surely have thought of this, and it would undoubtedly be heavily guarded. The difficulty for the Thirteen Riders of Saibei to transport their treasure back to the Central Plains was immense. Lin Xiao didn't know what method they would use to get through.

Relying on his exquisite Lightness Skill and profound inner force, Lin Xiao traveled the entire way using lightness skill. Following the map, he crossed mountains and rivers in a straight line towards his destination. It only took him half an hour to reach Longtan Gully.

Standing on a mountaintop and looking down, a huge slope led to a dry riverbed below. A massive convoy was already passing through the riverbed at this moment. Fifty to sixty horse-drawn carriages stretched for hundreds of meters, with hundreds of guards, including many experts.

"Isn't this a bit exaggerated!"

With so many people and so many experts, how could he possibly rob them?

He looked around and didn't find any other Descenders. They probably hadn't arrived yet. However, he vaguely saw some people lingering behind the large convoy, likely other martial artists looking to take advantage.

"Let's wait for now."

Lin Xiao found a spot under a tree and sat down. Although he considered his martial arts to be strong, he wasn't confident enough to charge such a large group alone.

The key was that this wasn't an ordinary convoy. Not only were there many experts inside, but they also carried military equipment. Several carriages had bed crossbows openly displayed on their sturdy tops. Those things were specifically designed to break through experts' inner force. Even he... could barely withstand them, and only barely. He definitely couldn't hold on for long, especially with so many experts watching from the surroundings. If he charged alone, the outcome would surely be death by a thousand arrows.

In this low-martial world, the upper limit of martial power was limited, and the power of military equipment could still threaten martial arts experts.

He didn't wait long before he saw the Descender teams he had seen at the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion arriving one after another. However, like him, they were hesitant to make a move and hid themselves.

But they didn't wait long. As the convoy slowly moved towards the distant Great Wall, several Descender teams began to communicate with each other and then merged, likely planning to cooperate.

At the same time, the numerous martial artists trailing behind the convoy also began to unite. More and more martial artists gathered, forming a team of nearly a hundred people.

Although the combined number of martial artists and Descenders was less than that of the Thirteen Riders of Saibei, everyone who dared to come was an expert, at least a second or third-rate martial artist. Their individual combat power was far greater than that of the Thirteen Riders of Saibei.

The two teams gradually took shape and no longer hid, openly trailing behind. An old man, whose name was unknown, split his forces into two teams to circle around from the sides, while the main force continued to trail, likely intending to surround and kill the entire convoy.

Just then, the convoy of the Thirteen Riders of Saibei suddenly stopped. The convoy split, and a group of seemingly imposing experts emerged. Among them were over a dozen burly men with fierce looks and dressed in a similar fashion, surrounding several middle-aged men and an elder who exuded an expert's demeanor.

Lin Xiao had excellent eyesight and clearly saw that when the surrounded individuals appeared, the team formed by the martial artists behind them seemed to recognize them. Many people involuntarily stopped.

At this moment, an elder in an embroidered golden eagle robe among the surrounded individuals stepped out alone. His voice, carrying across the distance, reached Lin Xiao, who was over a thousand meters away, as clearly as if it were in his ear:

"I am Wang Zhen, the Golden Eagle Envoy of Dushan Fortress. These tribute goods have already been presented to King Dushan by the Thirteen Riders of Saibei. If you have the courage, come and take them. I will be waiting here."

His voice was sonorous and powerful. After he finished speaking, the martial artists behind him fell silent. For a while, no one responded.

Even Lin Xiao was quite surprised by the speed of Dushan Fortress's actions, having dispatched the Golden Eagle Envoy. Looking at the several people being escorted by the Thirteen Dushan Emissaries, they were likely all experts from Dushan Fortress. If that was the case, it would be difficult to steal the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.

As Dushan Fortress, which had dominated the northern region for decades, was known for its power. Besides the Fortress Lord, King Dushan, the Twin Envoys, Four Symbols Dharma Kings, and Twelve Dushan Emissaries were all top-tier experts of the two-star mid-to-high grade.

Among them, the Twin Envoys were top-tier experts second only to Grandmasters, and their inner force cultivation was no less than Lin Xiao's current level. As for their martial arts, they had practiced diligently for fifty to sixty years. Even if they only practiced the Eagle Claw Technique, they could achieve mastery. Moreover, given their status, it was impossible for them to only practice the Eagle Claw Technique; they would certainly have one or two ultimate skills, coupled with fifty to sixty years of experience in the martial world...

Therefore, even though Lin Xiao's inner force cultivation was comparable to these masters who had been famous for decades, he would definitely be easily defeated in a real fight.

So, upon seeing the Golden Eagle Envoy appear, along with several others who might be Dharma Kings or Dushan Emissaries, Lin Xiao knew that with the current number of people, even if all three parties united, they would not be able to snatch the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.

"Damn it, what's the point of this? Twenty Spirit Coins wasted."

Lin Xiao was speechless. Looking at the riverbed, the martial artists seemed to be arguing. Some likely wanted to continue, while others wanted to give up, leading to a quarrel. This argument further diminished any chance.

He then looked at the united Descenders on the other side. They also seemed to be hesitating whether to continue.

Descenders generally had a bit more courage and didn't intend to back down, but they couldn't proceed either. If these martial artists hadn't been quarreling, they would have dared to attack even Dushan Fortress. But now that the martial artists were in disarray, without them to share the pressure, they couldn't make a move.

After all, being brave didn't mean being stupid. No one would seek death for a clearly hopeless situation.

The argument lasted for nearly the time it takes an incense stick to burn. More and more martial artists wavered and wanted to withdraw. The hundred-plus people split into two groups, facing each other across the riverbed.

The people from Dushan Fortress didn't rush them, merely watching the arguing martial artists with smiles.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao knew that this operation was likely over. Until a top-tier expert capable of fighting the Golden Eagle Envoy of Dushan Fortress appeared, no one would dare to make a move.