Legend of the Mythological Genes

Ginseng was a type of herb.

But had anyone seen a ginseng with the size of a thousand-year banyan tree?

Well, Feng Lin just did.

Its crinkled and coarse feelers that were the size of tree branches dug deep into the ground, crisscrossing and forming a web surrounding where Feng Lin stood.

The ginseng in the center of all was exceptionally dominating and colossal, resembling that of the thousand-year-old tree.

“Foreign visitor, are you here?” A weak voice uttered and from the midst of ginseng feelers, a wrinkled, aged face emerged. His expression was kind as he looked upon Feng Lin.

“Are you the old ancestor?” Feng Lin asked plainly.

“That’s right! Only the spirit kings have the power to dominate territories in Ancient Earth. I am the one who built the Hundred Grass Town!” the Ginseng King replied with a laugh. A glimmer of spirit light shone through his withered eyes as he scrutinized Feng Lin. His gaze cut through Feng Lin, seemingly with the intent to unveil all his secrets. “If I am not wrong, you are not from this world, are you?” the Ginseng King probed.

“What do you mean?” Feng Lin felt a lump in his throat. He stayed apprehensive about what the Ginseng King might have observed.

The Ginseng King chortled and continued, “Though this world is huge, there are few who can tell your identity just by looking. The ginseng tribe has enjoyed longevity, and the ginseng spirits in particular have lived for more than ten thousand years, so naturally, we are much more knowledgeable than other spirit tribes! According to our ancestors, this world is a self-sufficient entity detached from the real world. You do not possess the aura of this world. Thus, you must not be from here!”

Feng Lin remained silent and guarded. It had certainly taken him by surprise that the Ginseng King could know so much about him from just a glance.

The wise Ginseng King seemed to have noticed his cautiousness as well. He went on to gently assure him, “Don’t you worry! I will not hurt you. To be honest, that may not have been the case a hundred years or even a thousand years back! However, I am getting old and will soon approach the end of my time. I will not be able to fight you anyway. In fact, I was no match for the Tiger demon either. If not, I would not have lured you here with the xiantian spirit treasure. This is a rare treasure that has brought on many battles for its possession throughout the history of the Ancient Earth.”

“You know that this is a xiantian spirit treasure?” Feng Lin probed, puzzled at the turn of events, as he tightened his grip around the copper coin in his hand.

(Does the Ginseng King know the value of the copper coin? If he does, why would he give it up?)

The Ginseng King let out a laugh at Feng Lin’s confusion. “There are ancient inheritances passed on from one generation to another in the ginseng spirit tribe. The copper coin possesses xiantian dao charm and limitless capacity, so naturally, I will be able to tell that it is a xiantian spirit treasure. Unfortunately, it has suffered severe damage and its xiantian qi is dwindling fast. As such, it will soon lose its use completely. If not for that, I would not have given it up to you. However, I am impressed and intrigued that you were able to identify its potential immediately!”

(So that’s why.)

Feng Lin quietly nodded. Though it was an heirloom that the Ginseng King inherited, he seemed to lack the knowledge of its origin and true worth.

This copper coin was considered a very rare xiantian spirit treasure in the Investiture of The Gods. Even though Feng Lin did not know how it got severely damaged, he was aware that it still possessed immense intrinsic value.

Just the xiantian dao charm would have been considered priceless.

The inability of the Ginseng King to see its intrinsic value was his loss.

“I wonder how much has changed in the outside world?” the Ginseng King uttered.

Since his identity had already been exposed, there was no use denying it.

Feng Lin gave a brief overview of the developments of the galaxy, without sharing in detail the fundamental principles of the interstellar technology.

Even so, it was enough to leave the Ginseng King in awe at its progress. “I can’t believe that the future civilizations managed to invent such unfathomable technology over these past centuries! Even though this is just the start of the revolution, the underlying potential is immense. Maybe in years to come, it could revive the state of the legendary civilizations or even exceed their progress!”

The Ginseng King took in a deep breath, seemingly in preparation for the big decision he was about to make. “Young friend, may I seek your help in something?” he asked in a grave tone.

“What is it?” Feng Lin responded, clearly wary of the Ginseng King’s agenda.

Dismissing the caution in Feng Lin’s voice, the Ginseng King went on to share his request. “The world outside sure sounds wonderful and full of opportunities! May I seek your help in bringing along four children of our village with you?”

Almost immediately, the ginseng feelers spread open to reveal four tiny silhouettes. They were the young spirits of the ginseng, tea tree, ganoderma, and snow lotus.

(These spirits are going to follow me on my journey?)

(What have I done to deserve such luck?)

Feng Lin was in disbelief. Though he did save the Hundred Grass Town earlier, he would never have expected to have garnered such trust that the tribe would feel safe entrusting their children to him.

Feng Lin stood, astonished at the generosity and goodwill of the Ginseng King.

“Why did you choose me?” Feng Lin asked solemnly.

“You could have escaped when you were attacked by the spirits and monsters, but you kept your promise and fought the tiger demon head-on, saving the Hundred Grass Town. Just this act of yours is more than deserving of our trust.” The Ginseng King smiled and added, “Besides that, the fact that you were able to spot the xiantian spiritual treasure at first glance also demonstrated your immense talent. I value that.”

For some reason, there seemed to be more to his words than meets the eye.

Feng Lin appeared deep in thoughts, unconvinced by the Ginseng King’s words. While these words might have easily patronized a three-year-old, Feng Lin was not to be fooled.

“Your Majesty, why don’t you just tell me the truth? These four young spirits would need at least a few hundred more years of training to reach their full potential. Why would you entrust them with me? Stop kidding! If you are not willing to tell me the truth, then do pardon my inability to accede to your request!” Feng Lin’s reply was cold and straightforward.

What?

The Ginseng King’s wrinkled eyes sharpened at the curt remark and stared directly at Feng Lin, giving off an invisible, strong aura that was unlike that of the Tiger demon’s – it was less ferocious but much more tough and resilient, approaching and surrounding Feng Lin from all directions.

Feng Lin straightened his body and stared right back, unwavered.

Seeing that Feng Lin had no intention of giving in anytime soon, the Ginseng King sighed and relented, “Fine, I will tell you the truth. This world will be met with its impending doom soon. That is why I specially requested for your help to bring the four kids out so that the tribes of the Hundred Grass Town will not go extinct at its destruction.”

“Impending doom?” Feng Lin repeated in shock. “Are you lying to me again?”

Could a self-made and self-sufficient world like this be destroyed?

“How is it impossible?” the Ginseng King replied matter-of-factly. “Even stars do not shine forever. All things in the universe flourish and wither. If there is life, there naturally is death. It is so for humans. It is so for the stars. And it is certainly so for a small planet too. The only thing that differs is the timeline it happens. With the short lifespan of humans, even if they had been through 9 reincarnations, they would still not live to see the end of a planet. Plant spirits like us are particularly sensitive to traces of life, so we had long since prophesied the impending destruction of this world”

Feng Lin silently nodded in acknowledgment. Come to think of it, it did make sense and align with the second law of thermodynamics in physics.

A closed system with no contact with the outside world would just keep going through entropy generation, with no energy degradation, until it reached a point where it completely self-destructed.

This world had been isolated for tens of thousands of years. It did make sense that it would eventually head towards destruction.

“How much longer do we have until the destruction of this world?” Feng Lin directed the most critical question at the Ginseng King.

“It could be anytime between a thousand years and ten thousand years!”