Since it was Poison Consort Shi Qinglu who had taken Wu You, itâd be risky for Jiang Chen to bring Gan Ning with him. He didnât fear the poison genius, but he couldnât guarantee that heâd be able to protect Gan Ning at the same time.
He first left Gan Ning somewhere safe.
Given Gan Ningâs strength, even hiding in the most obscure location wouldnât guarantee his safety. Many teams on the island had found each other. There were too many eyes watching, making it easy to find Gan Ning.
Jiang Chen found a hiding place for Gan Ning and set up a defense formation, which would be enough to protect him.
Only the most stubborn of people would pick such a difficult target. This was a timed competition. Most contestants wouldnât waste their time on breaking the formation.
It wasnât worth a couple of days to get a nebulous amount of orbs. Every participant was shrewd enough to do the math.
âGan Ning, itâll take even seventh level empyrean cultivators a couple of days to break through the formation. You should be safe enough in here. Of course, you can walk around if you get bored. Once thereâs a threat you canât deal with, hop back in the formation to protect yourself.â
Gan Ning was grateful. He knew that he and Wu You were more trouble than they were worth. Jiang Chen was better off without them.
âI feel guilty for continuously dragging you down, senior brother Jiang Chen.â
âWeâre from the same faction. Itâs only right for us to support each other.â Jiang Chen smiled. âAlright, wait here patiently. Iâll bring Wu You back with me.â
Gan Ning looked at him with genuine concern. âSenior brother, you must be careful if you run into Shi Qinglu. She hasnât been defeated yet by any youths in Myriad Abyss. Countless people have lost to her. I worry that sheâs with Lu Mingye, making them even more difficult to deal with.â
âHaha, Iâm not afraid of even Shi Xuan. Why would I be intimidated by his junior?â Jiang Chen smiled easily. âDonât worry. Iâll be back in at most a day.â
Watching Jiang Chen walk away, Gan Ning knew there was nothing else he could say to change his senior brotherâs mind. The only thing he could do was to silently wish Jiang Chen luck.
Jiang Chen was the only thing keeping him in the competition. If his senior brother was defeated, Gan Ning wouldnât be able to sustain himself for fifteen days unless he stayed hidden forevermore in the formation.
He already had about ten orbs, which gave him an average score and would put him among the top half of the contestants.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
He knew there would be plenty who didnât end up with a single orb at all. Some of them might have even been crippled as soon as they set foot on the island.
The orbs would be concentrated in the hands of the selected few.
Having settled Gan Ning in, Jiang Chen made his way to Wu You with a lighter heart.
Through the Goldbiter Ratsâ incredible sleuthing abilities, he soon zeroed in on a specific area. As the rats had observed, there were many poison formations scattered around.
Once activated, the formations would cover the entire area, poisoning anyone who set foot in it.
Jiang Chen made a round along the fringe of the formations. His observation gave him a basic understanding of the cultivator who had set them up. He had to admit the deployerâs skill. It was his first time meeting someone whoâd shown this much mastery in poison.
Heâd encountered a few poison experts in the human domain, but none were good enough to catch his eye. There had once been an Order of Wind and Cloud, established by representatives from House Xiahou. Among them were a few poison experts, but they were also nothing in Jiang Chenâs eyes.
This poisoner, on the other hand, piqued his curiosity.
âThe ten sacred lands do have a solid foundation.â One of Jiang Chenâs positive traits was that he never underestimated his foe.
Even when he believed his enemy wouldnât pose a threat, heâd first study his enemy and formulate a plan before making a move. That was a habit that set him apart in his two lives.
He knew how many remarkable talents there were in the world. Carelessness could be his downfall.
Jiang Chen noticed a few cultivators standing guard around the parameters.
âThe one who set up the poison formations must have high status. Otherwise they wouldnât be able to mobilize so many people. Is it really that Shi Qinglu?â
That was Jiang Chenâs speculation. According to Gan Ning, the most talented poison expert in the Flora Sacred Land was Shi Qinglu. She was their foremost young genius and one half of the Flora twin treasures, along with Lu Mingye.
What surprised Jiang Chen was the fact that Qin You was standing guard on the outer circle.
âThis guy again, but it seems heâs merely one of the lackeys this time, which means the one who has given him the order must rank higher than he does. The Flora Sacred Land is already a leading sacred land. It must be either Lu Mingye or Shi Qinglu.â
Qin Youâs presence further cemented Jiang Chenâs speculation.
......
On the other side of the woods, Qin You and the white-haired cultivator stood close together. A few more people came to them from all directions.
âSo? Did you find the guy?â The look in Qin Youâs eyes was piercing.
The others shook their heads.
âSenior brother Qin, are you sure that the one who attacked us was Jiang Chen?â asked the white-haired cultivator doubtfully.
Qin You wasnât actually sure, which was what made the whole experience even more humiliating. Heâd been defeated miserably without knowing who his opponent was. He couldnât have suffered a worse failure.
But his prime suspect was indeed Jiang Chen.
Scowling, Qin You declared in a deep voice, âWeâll know if itâs him after we catch him.â
The white-haired cultivator pursed his lips, swallowing his words nervously.
Qin You threw him a look. âDo you have something to say?â
âIâm just wondering... Since Jiang Chen could subdue us in an instant, heâs more powerful than we expected. If we target him again... perhaps...â
âScared?â Qin You looked at him coolly.
âI...â The white-haired cultivator hesitated to respond. He was scared, but itâd be too cowardly of him to say so.
âLady Poison Consort and senior brother Lu are in charge this time,â Qin You said through gritted teeth. âThat kid better stay far away, or heâs going to suffer!â