Participating in the Rite of Descension and Surviving Three Days and Three Nights!

As the words fell, the two Fatui Pyro Agents retreated from the scene at lightning speed.

Only seconds after they had vanished, the Knights of Favonius arrived in a frantic rush.

Leading the group were Jean and Barbara, accompanied by Kaeya, Klee, Diluc, and a host of other knights.

However, upon their arrival, they found only Lumine and Venti lying unconscious on the ground, alongside the Emergency Food, who had been frozen into a block of ice.

"Traveler!"

[Chen Fan, a contestant from the Star Dou Great Forest faction, has successfully seized the Anemo Gnosis!]

[Mission Rating: Perfect!]

[Personal Reward Granted: All of Chen Fan's Spirit Rings have had their age increased by ten thousand years; obtained the hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone, "Soul-Hooking Right Arm Bone"!]

[Soul-Hooking Right Arm Bone: Deals additional damage to the spiritual sea of beings from the Douluo Continent, provides a damage bonus against residents of Teyvat, and increases the user's resistance to elemental power!]

[Faction Reward Granted: All members of the Star Dou Great Forest faction have gained one thousand years of cultivation!]

[Additional Faction Reward: Sentient spirit beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest will gain an additional ten thousand years of cultivation.]

Streams of light descended rapidly from the sky, and for a moment, the entire Star Dou Great Forest shone as if illuminated by ten thousand rays of light.

Due to the time difference, the Douluo Continent was already shrouded in the dark, moonless night.

Yet, because the Star Dou Great Forest was situated south of the Heaven Dou Empire, north of the Star Luo Empire, and directly west of the Spirit Empire, the falling light was clearly visible to almost the entire continent.

"No way, he actually managed to snatch it?"

"That was the Eighth Harbinger of the Fatui, the one who could bring a god ruling over Mondstadt to its knees! How could he go head-to-head with her and hold his own for several rounds?"

"That's nothing! He snatched that Gnosis right out of the hands of the very woman who defeated that god!"

"Stealing from a god—if I recall correctly, the two empires of Heaven Dou paid the price of two Titled Douluo just for trying that before!"

The masses of the three great empires were struck with utter shock, while in contrast, their respective high-ranking officials remained deathly silent.

"Can someone tell me why this Chen Fan appeared in the Star Dou Great Forest faction?"

In the Star Luo Empire, the imperial court had been plunged into a deathly silence since the fourth stage began, a silence that persisted to this day.

Finally, the Star Luo Emperor could no longer contain himself and barked a question, his gaze sweeping over the ministers below. "Why!?"

The ministers looked at one another, and in the end, they all unanimously chose to keep their mouths shut, lowering their heads to stare at their own feet.

How could they possibly know?

"Your Majesty!"

Zhu Xiaoxian, the Duke of Nether—father to Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun—cupped his hands in a salute. "Perhaps Bibi Dong could not tolerate a grain of sand in her eye and expelled him from the Spirit Empire faction."

"I heard rumors that Bibi Dong had shelved Chen Fan's coronation ceremony and relegated him to the logistics department. Perhaps... he didn't feel a strong sense of belonging to the Spirit Empire?"

The Star Luo Emperor narrowed his eyes. "Even so, Bibi Dong would not have let him leave so easily, would she?"

He knew full well what a massive hidden danger the escape of a Peerless Douluo posed to an empire.

Furthermore, according to intelligence from the Heaven Dou Empire, they knew that in the frontline war at Jialing Pass, the six great Elders of the Spirit Empire had been nearly wiped out, leaving only the two weakest behind.

Beyond that, the majority of their Titled Douluo had also perished.

In other words, the Spirit Empire now possessed fewer than ten Titled Douluo.

Under such circumstances, it should have been absolutely impossible for them to let Chen Fan go.

The Star Luo Emperor understood Bibi Dong's character well; even if she had killed Chen Fan herself, she would never have allowed him to escape so smoothly.

"Your Majesty," the Duke of Nether said, implying something. "Morale within the Spirit Empire is currently at an all-time low. Bibi Dong naturally wouldn't dare to handle him in a high-profile manner, so it is highly likely she attempted to deal with him in secret."

"It's just that... Your Majesty and my colleagues have all seen Chen Fan's combat prowess. Perhaps... that is the reason?"

As soon as these words were spoken, almost all the ministers jerked their heads up, their faces filled with shock!

A Peerless Douluo, going head-to-head with a god?

"Investigate Chen Fan's whereabouts immediately! Spare no cost to recruit him!"

Compared to the Star Luo Empire, the focus of the Heaven Dou Empire was elsewhere—

"Star Dou Great Forest faction? What the hell is that? Isn't the only thing in the Star Dou Great Forest that Titan Giant Ape, the King of the Forest?"

"That's right. It's said he was already executed by the Spirit Empire before. How did he manage to establish a faction in the Star Dou Great Forest?"

"It's not like Chen Fan can communicate with spirit beasts and set up a camp in the Star Dou Great Forest, right?"

The many generals of the Heaven Dou Empire discussed the matter in a clamor, but looking at the command tent, it was deathly silent.

Others might not know the truth, but they certainly did!

Especially Ning Fengzhi!

The last person who dared to challenge his Divine Might had already been reduced to a pile of ashes!

Yet this Chen Fan, with the strength of a Peerless Douluo, could actually resist a god and even trade a few blows?

Was Chen Fan's strength truly this terrifying?

"Now that Chen Fan possesses that special hundred-thousand-year right arm bone, his strength will likely be even greater!"

After a long silence, Yu Xiaogang finally uttered a platitude.

Tang Xiao, Dugu Bo, and the many other Title Douluo couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind.

"Your Majesty, perhaps we could attempt to recruit this Chen Fan into our Heaven Dou Empire's faction?"

Yu Xiaogang perfectly embodied the saying that as long as he wasn't embarrassed, it was everyone else who would be. Despite no one responding to him, he felt no awkwardness. "Since he defected from the Spirit Empire, he must harbor resentment toward them. Therefore, I believe we can definitely win him over!"

Just then, the majestic voice of the Teleportation Gate rang out once more!

[The journey to Mondstadt, the first act of the trial, has concluded successfully. All Douluo Continent participants involved in this stage have received one spirit bone of any part, ranging from fifty thousand to ninety thousand years in age, and all spirit rings have had their age increased by one thousand years.]

[Now commencing the first stage of the second act: Participate in the Rite of Descension and survive safely for three days and three nights!]

[Mission Type: Group Mission (All factions may participate, but the maximum number of participants per faction is three.)]

[This stage will begin in one day. All factions of the Douluo Continent, please prepare yourselves!]

Star Dou Great Forest, Forbidden Zone.

The Beast God Di Tian felt the 810,000 years of cultivation within his body, his expression somewhat dazed.

Previously, his cultivation had been 799,999 years.

However, his age had already exceeded 800,000 years—note that for spirit beasts, age is only counted from the moment they gain consciousness and intelligence.

In reality, his actual age might be even longer.

And yet, right now.

In just a single moment, it had boosted him to 810,000 years of cultivation, equivalent to over ten thousand years of bitter training!

At this rate—perhaps becoming a god was not so far out of reach after all?