Lumine, "Didn't we agree... to tell me what's relevant? Where are they?"

As the Dragon King of Wind, Dvalin might have possessed some resistance to wind-based attacks had they struck his body directly.

But!

What they were striking now was the poisoned blood on his body!

This was caused by the curse of the Abyss and carried no wind resistance.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Likewise.

Lumine did not hesitate; with Venti's assistance, waves of light bloomed from before her.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

Ordinarily, this would have required two attempts to clear, but thanks to their coordination, the congealed poisoned blood shattered and crumbled in a mere instant.

"Roar!"

Dvalin let out a pained cry, his wind wings flapping even more violently. The aura in all directions became turbulent and unstable, nearly blowing Tianfeng Douluo and Bai He away.

Lumine, however, was a different story.

Because she had Venti's help, she was at least able to steady her figure.

It was just that...

Stung by the pain, Dvalin's speed surged, and he quickly turned into a black speck, vanishing from sight...

"Hey, you two..."

Seeing Dvalin fly away, Lumine let out a sigh of relief. Her gaze turned toward Tianfeng Douluo and Bai He, and just as she was about to say something.

A faint white light suddenly emanated from the bodies of Bai He and Tianfeng Douluo, covering them in an instant and transforming them into two white silhouettes.

At the same time!

In the hearts of every spirit master on the Douluo Continent, the majestic voice of the Heavenly Dao rang out once more!

[Participant mission complete!]

[Factions completed: Heaven Dou Empire, Spirit Empire!]

[Mission rewards: Participant spirit power level increased by 3; all spirit masters' spirit power increased by 1 level.]

[The fourth stage will reopen in three days. Please be advised!]

Almost the moment the voice faded.

Within the light screen, the two figures vanished, and from the Teleportation Gates of the two great empires, two rather disheveled figures flickered into view.

"...What is going on?"

Left alone, Lumine spread her Wings of Wind, staring at the empty scene with a bewildered expression and a giant question mark over her head. "Wasn't it agreed... that you would tell me about the relevant matters?"

"Where did everyone go?"

However.

This was a question destined to remain unanswered for her.

"Holy cow! This mission didn't seem that hard after all!"

"Star Luo Empire: Peanuts for me!"

"Hahaha, who told the Star Luo Empire to practice martial arts and drill troops every single day while ignoring functional spirit masters? Who can they blame for their bad luck now?"

"Exactly, exactly... but then again, our Heaven Dou Empire was punished once before and rewarded once now, so it's basically back to square one!"

"Damn, the Spirit Empire made a killing this time!"

"It's fine, it's fine... the fourth stage won't start for another three days, giving everyone some time to catch their breath!"

After the majestic voice of the Heavenly Dao rang out, the many spirit masters across the Douluo Continent were stunned for a moment before collectively letting out a sigh of relief.

Now they finally had time to catch their breath and prepare!

Previously.

The sudden appearance of the Teleportation Gates and the release of three stages in one go had caught everyone off guard; no one had expected such an irrational situation.

But now.

They finally had the opportunity to calm down and make preparations!

"Your Majesty, we need to deliberate on this at length to prepare for the subsequent stages!"

On the side of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Xue Beng watched in a daze as the somewhat disheveled Bai He approached. Hearing the voice of Yu Xiaogang beside him, he suddenly snapped back to reality. "The State Preceptor is right..."

"Withdraw and prepare to defend, and be wary of a sneak attack from the Spirit Empire!"

"Yes!"

Xue Beng had not forgotten.

The Rakshasa God Bibi Dong of the Spirit Empire was now fully recovered from her injuries.

Looking at the Heaven Dou Empire, however... it seemed they hadn't received a reward to heal their entire team after this mission.

That meant Tang San and Xiao Wu were still in a coma, and if...

If the Spirit Empire launched an attack at a time like this, what were they supposed to do?

"Your Majesty, I have successfully fulfilled my mission!"

Above Jialing City of the Spirit Empire.

Tianfeng Douluo felt his legs go weak, yet he still forced himself to stand tall, cupping his hands toward the Rakshasa God Bibi Dong before him, his voice slightly hoarse.

It really was something.

If he hadn't experienced that ten-thousand-meter altitude, he never would have known he had a fear of heights!

One had to understand.

It wasn't as if he hadn't fought in the air during previous battles with the Heaven Dou Empire, yet he had never felt his legs go weak like this.

This, in truth, was simply the difference between low-altitude and high-altitude flight.

"You have worked hard, Elder Tianfeng!"

The Rakshasa God Bibi Dong nodded slightly, her gaze shifting to Qianjun Douluo and Jiangmo Douluo. "Two Consecrated, the Consecrated Hall is currently short-handed, and Elder Tianfeng has reached the peak of level ninety-six thanks to the Heavenly Dao reward. Why not..."

"Promote him to the Consecrated Hall as the Eighth Consecrated. What do you think?"

As these words fell, the atmosphere in the area instantly froze!

The truth was laid bare!

Bibi Dong was trying to get her hands on the Consecrated Hall!

One had to know that when Bibi Dong established the Spirit Empire, she had already brought most of the Title Douluo of the Elder Hall under her control.

However.

After this battle with the Heaven Dou Empire.

With many dead or crippled, the only usable people left in the Elder Hall were Tianfeng Douluo, Guibao Douluo, Pufferfish Douluo, and Snake Spear Douluo... As for Chen Fan, he had been left on the bench and certainly wouldn't be at Bibi Dong's beck and call.

Therefore.

He could be ignored entirely.

At the same time.

The only Super Douluo remaining in the Consecrated Hall were Qianjun Douluo and Jiangmo Douluo.

Yet, in such a dire situation.

Instead of thinking about how to handle the next stage, Bibi Dong was trying to force Tianfeng Douluo into the Consecrated Hall. What was she planning?

She was trying to dig up the foundation of the Qian family!

Although Spirit Hall had become the Spirit Empire, the fundamental system hadn't changed much due to the short time frame; the Consecrated Hall still held the power to vote and dismiss the Empress of the Spirit Empire at will.

At least, that was how it was in name!

But now...

Bibi Dong was trying to uproot the Qian family and take legitimate, absolute control over the entire Spirit Empire!

Qian Renxue dug her nails deep into her palms until they turned white, biting her lip in silence.

Qianjun Douluo and Jiangmo Douluo also remained silent.

The atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.

The coldness in the eyes of the Rakshasa God Bibi Dong intensified.

Just as the tension reached a breaking point.

The sound of Hu Liena's footsteps shattered the oppressive silence. "Teacher..."

"Nana?"

Hu Liena's arrival instantly eased the tension in the air.

The Rakshasa God Bibi Dong looked up at the sound, her gaze softening and her voice turning much gentler. "What is it?"

Hu Liena bit her red lip, her expression looking rather pitiful, which left the Rakshasa God Bibi Dong feeling deeply puzzled.

Strange.

Hadn't she told Hu Liena to escort Chen Fan back to the logistics area?

Why did it look like... had something happened?

Before the Rakshasa God Bibi Dong could figure it out, she heard Hu Liena's voice ring out!

"Chen Fan says... he wants to resign and return to his hometown!"