280: Chapter 280 Escort

Upon hearing this, Mid-stage True Immortal smiled and lowered his voice slightly:

"Fellow Daoist is indeed extraordinary. To be honest, in my early years, I cultivated a secret technique through a fortunate Opportunity, which made my perception of the Heavenly Dao rhyme particularly keen. Just now, I coincidentally sensed that Fellow Daoist's body actually contained seven distinct dao rhymes!"

He looked at Su Mo with undisguised astonishment:

"Fellow Daoist, with a Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivation, possessing seven dao rhymes, this is simply unheard of! You are truly one in a million, a Dragon among men! One with such a foundation either possesses a Heaven-Defying Opportunity or has a profound background."

"Whichever it is, it's worth this Lu making your acquaintance. Escorting a Prodigy like you might even be our Opportunity, wouldn't you say?"

Su Mo sneered inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged. Then he said indifferently:

"No need."

Having said that, he made to leave again.

"Fellow Daoist, wait!"

Mid-stage True Immortal seemed to have anticipated his refusal and immediately stepped forward, his tone becoming more urgent:

"Fellow Daoist, don't rush to refuse! Listen to me!"

He pointed to the four Cultivators standing not far behind him.

The aura of those four was not weak; three were Mid-stage True Immortals, and one had even reached Late-stage True Immortal.

At this moment, they were all looking over, seemingly unsurprised by Mid-stage True Immortal's polite conversation with a Tribulation Crossing Stage Cultivator.

"With the five of us working together to protect you, as long as we don't venture into the most dangerous forbidden zones, your safety in the icefield is absolutely guaranteed!"

Mid-stage True Immortal patted his chest in assurance, then stated the conditions:

"And we only charge ten thousand Medium Grade immortal essence stones as remuneration! Furthermore, during the escort, if we discover any Opportunities or spiritual items, we will only take 30%, and the remaining 70% will belong to Fellow Daoist! This condition is absolutely fair!"

Seeing Su Mo's expression remain unchanged, Mid-stage True Immortal added:

"If Fellow Daoist is still uneasy and worried about our intentions, we can immediately sign a Divine Soul contract supervised by the Heavenly Dao."

Su Mo raised an eyebrow, his inner sneer growing stronger.

Sign a Divine Soul contract?

This group was certainly willing to pay a price, even daring to bring up a Divine Soul contract witnessed by the Heavenly Dao.

Could it be that they genuinely only wanted to earn these ten thousand Medium Grade immortal essence stones and make an acquaintance along the way?

When things are abnormal, there must be a demon.

Su Mo's guard did not decrease because the other party proposed signing a contract; instead, he became even more vigilant.

While Divine Soul contracts have powerful binding force, it's not guaranteed that there aren't loopholes or methods to evade repercussions.

However, Su Mo's interest was piqued.

He wanted to see what this group's true intentions were.

Ten thousand Medium Grade immortal essence stones were indeed not much to him now; the toll fee at Zhenbei Pass was also this amount.

Thinking of this, Su Mo revealed a smile that seemed to indicate he had lowered his guard, and nodded:

"Oh? A Divine Soul contract? If that's truly the case, it would indeed put one's mind at ease considerably. Since that's so, then let's do as Fellow Daoist Lu says and sign the contract."

Upon hearing this, Mid-stage True Immortal's eyes flashed with an imperceptible hint of joy, and his smile became even more sincere:

"Fellow Daoist is indeed a straightforward person!"

He no longer hesitated and immediately took out a beast skin scroll from his storage ring, which exuded an ancient, weathered aura and had dark gold patterns along its edges.

"Fellow Daoist, please examine it. If there are no objections, you only need to drip a drop of essence blood and confirm with your Divine Thought."

Mid-stage True Immortal handed the beast skin contract to Su Mo.

Su Mo swept it with his Divine Sense, his expression unchanged, and then forced out a drop of essence blood onto it, simultaneously integrating a wisp of Divine Thought.

Buzz!

The beast skin contract vibrated slightly, and the characters on it suddenly lit up, transforming into a strange rune. It split into six, shooting towards the foreheads of Su Mo, Mid-stage True Immortal, and his four companions behind him, disappearing from sight.

An invisible sense of restraint instantly enveloped the six individuals, as if a connection had been formed with the ethereal Heavenly Dao.

The contract was established!

Mid-stage True Immortal's smile completely relaxed, and he cupped his hands, saying:

"The contract is made. From now on, I ask Fellow Daoist Su for your continued care. I wonder if Fellow Daoist still needs to purchase anything in town? Such as Blazing Sun Stones or the like?"

Su Mo shook his head and said directly:

"No need, everything that needs to be prepared is already ready. Let's depart immediately."

Things like Blazing Sun Stones were completely unnecessary for him.

"Good! Fellow Daoist Su is indeed decisive!"

Mid-stage True Immortal praised, then gave a look to the four people behind him.

The four True Immortal Cultivators also stepped forward, simply cupping their hands to Su Mo as a greeting. Their attitude was not overly enthusiastic, but it wasn't hostile either.

Leading them was a stern-faced man, a Late-stage True Immortal Cultivator named Late-stage True Immortal.

The other three Mid-stage True Immortals were a pair of brothers who looked about 50-60% alike, Zhao Long and Zhao Hu, and a young woman named Qing He.

Adding Mid-stage True Immortal, this five-person team's strength was indeed considerable among the outer exploration teams in Han Ji Town.

"Fellow Daoist Su, please follow us."

Mid-stage True Immortal led the way, while Late-stage True Immortal and Qing He subtly flanked Su Mo, protecting him in the middle. The brothers Zhao Long and Zhao Hu followed at the rear.

The group of six passed through the exit of Han Ji Town, which was covered by a Formation light barrier, and officially stepped into the truly perilous Wanji Icefield, shrouded in endless blizzards and deadly Profound Evil Qi.

The biting cold wind, mixed with ice shards, assailed their faces. Even with immortal essence protecting their bodies, the chilling sensation that seemed to freeze the Soul still seeped in.

As far as the eye could see, the world was a vast expanse of pale white. Distant glaciers resembled silent behemoths, lurking behind the snowstorm.

The five individuals, including Mid-stage True Immortal, were clearly familiar with this area. They chose a path that seemed to have been trodden by predecessors and was relatively safe.

They moved at a moderate pace, maintaining a vigilant Formation.

Su Mo followed among them, his expression normal.

After traveling some distance through the snow, Su Mo, guided by the map in his mind, pointed to a direction slightly deviating from a straight line but still generally towards the direction of the Immortal Burial Cave, and said to Mid-stage True Immortal:

"Fellow Daoist Lu, I wish to go in this direction. Please lead the way."

Mid-stage True Immortal looked at the simple directional map in his hand, his brows furrowed slightly, and a perfectly timed troubled expression appeared on his face:

"Fellow Daoist Su, if we head directly to this place you've indicated, I'm afraid we'll have to pass through an area called Ghost Weeping Gorge."

He paused, explaining with a hint of solemnity in his tone:

"That Ghost Weeping Gorge is no small matter. Not only is it constantly swept by extremely violent Profound Evil Qi Storms, but it's also one of the dens where Evil Demons gather. There might even be an Evil Demon King comparable to a Profound Immortal bred within! The danger is extremely high; even Profound Immortal Cultivators would not lightly venture there."

He observed Su Mo's expression, then changed the subject and suggested:

"How about we take a longer detour? Although it will take a few extra days, the areas we pass through will be much safer. And..."

Mid-stage True Immortal lowered his voice, speaking with a hint of temptation:

"I heard that just a few days ago, a Cultivator on that detour route fortunately discovered and picked a heavenly frost ice soul flower! Fellow Daoist possesses great Luck, so perhaps you might also encounter such an Opportunity?"