269: Chapter 269 Zhenbei Pass

The Profound Immortal Elder's gaze then fell upon Su Mo, filled with scrutiny and inquiry.

He could clearly sense the dao rhymes of six top-grade origin fruits within Su Mo's body.

Although not as impressive as the Eighteenth Prince, Zhao Yuanhao, it was still extremely rare.

This meant that Su Mo's background was certainly not simple either.

"Ningshuang."

The Profound Immortal Elder spoke in a calm tone:

"Who is this?"

Leng Ningshuang's heart tightened, and she bowed slightly as she replied:

"Reporting to the Grand Elder, this is Su Mo, a friend I met while traveling. He happened to visit today, and I didn't expect it would disturb your seclusion. Please forgive us, Elder."

Hearing this, the Profound Immortal Elder's gaze lingered on Su Mo for a moment. Seeing his steady aura and lack of fear even when facing him, he simply nodded slightly.

"Since he is visiting a friend, you must notify the Sect's Deacons for registration to avoid further misunderstandings."

After saying that, his figure slowly dissipated like smoke and clouds, as if he had never appeared.

The Immortal Cave finally became completely quiet.

Leng Ningshuang breathed a sigh of relief, but her gaze toward Su Mo remained guarded.

Just as she was about to ask, she saw Su Mo turn around as naturally as if he were in his own home and walk straight toward the inner quiet room of the Immortal Cave.

Leng Ningshuang was stunned and subconsciously followed him in.

After confirming that no one else was spying and that the Immortal Cave's defensive Formation was fully activated, Leng Ningshuang took a deep breath. Staring at Su Mo's seemingly ordinary yet unfathomable back, she asked in a low voice:

"What are you doing here?"

Su Mo walked to the center of the quiet room and stopped casually. Without even turning his head, he merely lifted his eyelids slightly, his tone so flat that no emotion could be heard:

"Don't worry, I didn't come here specifically to find you."

He turned his head and glanced at her from the corner of his eye:

"I'm just using this place as a springboard, since it's the closest to the Wanji Icefield, to get some things done."

This answer put Leng Ningshuang's mind at ease slightly, but then Su Mo's tone shifted, and with a faint hint of playfulness, he asked:

"By the way, is the Indestructible Dao Body comfortable to use?"

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a thunderclap exploding in Leng Ningshuang's ears!

Her delicate body trembled violently, her beautiful eyes widened instantly, and she looked at Su Mo in disbelief. Her red lips parted slightly, but she couldn't utter a single word.

He... he actually knows?! How could he know?!

Seeing her suddenly changing expression and the surging horror in her eyes, Su Mo found it quite amusing. He gave a light chuckle and continued:

"It seems it is quite comfortable. After all, others find it very handy too; one by one, they've all become top-tier geniuses in their respective Sects."

"You..."

Leng Ningshuang's throat went dry, and she felt a chill rush from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

Su Mo slowly turned around to face her, the smile still on his face:

"Don't forget, what I gave you... naturally, I can take back."

This light sentence made Leng Ningshuang feel more fear than a full-strength strike from Zhao Yuanhao's twelve types of dao rhymes.

She almost blurted out, with a hint of desperate determination:

"I... I can self-detonate! I will never let you..."

"Heh."

Su Mo let out a short, light laugh, interrupting her:

"Without my permission, even if you want to self-detonate, you won't be able to die."

He leaned forward slightly, looking directly into her eyes, his voice low and full of pressure:

"You can try."

Su Mo's low and absolutely confident words instantly stifled all of Leng Ningshuang's thoughts of resistance.

Her heart constricted sharply.

Try?

She didn't dare.

Su Mo's mystery had long since exceeded the scope of her understanding.

Since he dared to say so, he must have absolute certainty.

If even self-detonation was useless, then all her struggles seemed laughable before him.

The atmosphere in the quiet room was suffocatingly oppressive.

After a moment, Su Mo's tone returned to its previous flatness:

"Has there been anything unusual about the Wanji Icefield lately? Is there anything I need to pay special attention to when going there?"

Leng Ningshuang was slightly taken aback; she hadn't expected him to suddenly ask about this.

She forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart and tried to make her voice sound calm and steady:

"The Wanji Icefield is located in the buffer zone between the Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty and our Huangji Immortal Dynasty, and its environment is already extremely harsh. As for lately..."

She thought for a moment:

"Border frictions between the Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty and the Huangji Immortal Dynasty have intensified recently, making the situation more tense than before. Although the main forces of both sides won't easily step into a dangerous place like the icefield, there will inevitably be scouts, spies, and even some outlaws looking to profit from the chaos. You must be extra careful if you encounter them."

She paused and added:

"As for the icefield itself, the Nine Nether Profound Fiend remains the primary threat, and its eruption cycle seems to be shortening. You need to prepare Medicinal Pills or Magic Treasures to resist the cold fiend in advance."

"Additionally, the spatial rifts near the core area seem to be more active than in previous years. If one is not careful, they could be sucked into spatial turbulence, from which even a True Immortal would find it hard to escape."

She briefly summarized the recent intelligence she knew about the Wanji Icefield, especially the parts related to the situation of the two great Immortal Dynasties.

Su Mo listened quietly, a curve appearing at the corner of his mouth:

"Thanks."

Having said that, he walked straight out of the Immortal Cave, intending to leave.

Leng Ningshuang watched his departing back, which showed no trace of lingering, and for a moment, she didn't react.

He's just leaving like that?

Reaching the entrance, Su Mo paused slightly. Seemingly sensing her daze, he turned his head halfway, his tone carrying a faint hint of teasing:

"What? Do you want me to stay the night?"

Leng Ningshuang's cheeks suddenly flushed, and a strange feeling arose in her heart.

She bit her lip and didn't respond, merely following him silently to activate the exit Restriction of the Immortal Cave.

"I'll see you out."

She said softly, her voice returning to its cool tone.

With her, a newly promoted Core Disciple, personally leading the way, Su Mo left Yunmiao Palace's Sect-protecting Formation without any hindrance.

Su Mo didn't look back again; his figure transformed into a streak of light, heading straight toward the northernmost border of the Huangji Immortal Dynasty.

A few days later, a magnificent city appeared on the horizon.

This city was called Zhenbei Pass, the most important pass guarding the northern border of the Huangji Immortal Dynasty.

The city walls were thousands of feet high and entirely pitch-black, with countless dense runes engraved upon them, shimmering with a cold light.

When Su Mo entered the city, he found that something was wrong.

Although security was usually tight, Zhenbei Pass still allowed Cultivators to pass after their identities were verified; however, the city gates were now tightly shut.

The transit area, which should have been bustling, was now filled with hundreds of stranded Cultivators of all sorts.

"What's going on? It's been closed for three days! When will it finally open?"

"Sigh, I heard a fight has broken out ahead! The Black Nightmare Cavalry of the Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty has already clashed with our Huangji Immortal Dynasty's North Wind Legion in the Rift Valley Corridor three hundred miles away!"

"A great war is about to start! How could they let anyone out now? What if spies from the Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty sneak in?"

"Damn it, if my batch of Ice Marrow Grass isn't delivered soon, the liquidated damages will bankrupt me!"

The noisy discussions reached Su Mo's ears, immediately making him understand the current situation.

Just as Leng Ningshuang had warned, the border friction between the Xuan Ye Immortal Dynasty and the Huangji Immortal Dynasty had escalated to the point of sealing off key passes and banning all entry and exit.

The purpose was clear: to prevent the other side's spies from infiltrating and leaking military intelligence.