Qin You's expression stiffened in an instant.
At this moment, he understood completely that he was in serious trouble.
In the brief instant he was distracted, those runes kept closing in, forming walls like massive barriers that pressed ever tighter, compressing the space around them bit by bit.
"Senior Brother Qin, what the hell is this thing?" the white-haired cultivator stammered, his voice thick with terror. As geniuses of the Holy Lands, they could be considered well-versed in the world, yet they had never witnessed anything this bizarre before.
Even formations didn't have the ability to move like this.
These continuously advancing runes gave the feeling of a mobile formation — and a domineering one at that. With their strength, there was absolutely no way to break through.
Outside the encirclement, Jiang Chen wore an expression of leisurely composure. He had only been testing the waters, but he hadn't expected that once the Void Runes were deployed, they would truly prove extraordinary.
Compared to formations, Void Runes were far more convenient to use. Perhaps the offensive and defensive capabilities of Void Runes weren't as powerful as true formations.
But in combat, Void Runes were easy to manipulate and could be deployed at any time. Without question, their advantage lay in speed.
Gan Ning was left with nothing but astonishment. Watching Jiang Chen wield such a powerful Divine Ability — the techniques he deployed between mere gestures were things that even Gan Ning couldn't begin to comprehend.
Beyond wholehearted admiration, Gan Ning had no other feeling left to give.
After resisting for a while, Qin You and the white-haired cultivator were ultimately powerless to turn the tide. The Void Runes sealed and suppressed them completely.
…
Half an hour later, to Gan Ning's slack-jawed amazement, Jiang Chen collected over forty Trial Orbs — a truly tremendous harvest.
In that instant, Gan Ning understood perfectly why Jiang Chen hadn't bothered competing with him over the Trial Orbs when they encountered them. With abilities like these, why would he need to fight over one or two Trial Orbs?
Jiang Chen didn't shortchange Gan Ning, either. Seeing as they were partners in this, he handed five Trial Orbs over to him.
Gan Ning stammered, "I... I get a share too?"
Jiang Chen smiled and said, "Take them. Think of it as ill-gotten gains."
"Ill-gotten gains?" Gan Ning blinked in confusion.
"These fellows each had six or seven Trial Orbs on them. With their abilities, there's no way they could have obtained so many in just a day or two. Besides, they were gathered together in a group instead of spreading out. Statistically speaking, the Trial Orbs in this area, divided among each of them individually, would be even fewer. Yet they had this many. The only explanation is that they banded together to rob people on the road. That kind of business is far more profitable than searching for Trial Orbs on your own."
Jiang Chen's analysis was perfectly reasonable.
"So that's how it is — those bastards!" Gan Ning cursed angrily. "I've always heard that the Hundred Virtues Holy Land, the Duowen Holy Land, and the Jimie Holy Land formed a secret alliance. Looks like it's true after all. It's just that these guys got lucky — to actually be able to gather together so quickly."
"Everyone has their own methods, and of course, luck plays a part too." Jiang Chen waved his hand. "We need to move faster. Find Wu You as soon as we can."
Gan Ning grew worried. "Didn't you say before that you sensed the aura of Sorrowwood in that area, and that it was very strong? I'm afraid — could Wu You have already been ambushed by them?"
"Probably not yet." Jiang Chen shook his head. "Let's keep searching. I feel like the trail hasn't gone cold."
"Right. We need to be careful too. Temporary alliances like this, with several geniuses grouped together — they're hard to guard against," Gan Ning said cautiously.
Jiang Chen, however, broke into a grin. "I actually hope we run into this kind of thing often. That way, we won't have to waste too much effort searching for Trial Orbs."