Lumine, "It's you!? Hand over Venti's Gnosis!"

The light screen above the sky rippled, suddenly splitting into five distinct frames.

These corresponded to the locations of the five major factions.

However, the awkward reality was that the three members of each faction were scattered, not gathered together at all.

Therefore, within these five frames, the view was divided into a triangular layout, much like a security camera feed.

The first figures to appear were Liu Erlong, located on the mountainside above the Regisvine, and Yu Xiaogang, standing behind an archway within Liyue Harbor.

Of course, the most distant position of all belonged to Chen Fan.

He had actually appeared on the wooden planks at the very top of Wangshu Inn!

"No way, the participants are all separated?"

"Good heavens, doesn't that make the starting difficulty hell-tier? My goodness!"

"Is this even reasonable? They said it was a group challenge, how could they split everyone up?"

As the images on the light screen shifted, the crowd was instantly stunned!

"What happened to the group connection? Why is everyone separated?"

"Exactly, even those from the same faction are split up, this is—"

In the forbidden zone of the Star Dou Great Forest, Di Tian's expression shifted abruptly. "No, Bi Ji—"

"Di Tian, calm yourself!"

The Silver Dragon King's voice resonated in Di Tian's mind. "Being anxious won't help; trust in Bi Ji."

Di Tian's expression remained grim, but he managed to calm down.

Indeed, at this moment, his anxiety was completely useless.

The wails of the living beings on the Douluo Continent did not affect the other world.

As the participants entered and all the scenes were displayed, the majestic voice of the Teleportation Gate echoed once more in the minds of all the contestants!

[Participants, please do your best to survive!]

"Wangshu Inn, huh—"

Chen Fan's sudden appearance out of thin air had indeed startled quite a few people.

Fortunately, it was early morning, and being on the top floor, there weren't many people at Wangshu Inn.

He didn't pay them any mind and turned to walk downstairs.

"My god, I was just here catching the morning breeze, and when I turned around, someone just popped up. You scared the life out of me!"

"This, this, this—could he be one of the Liyue Adepti?"

"That doesn't seem right, does it? His clothes don't look like anything we wear."

"Could he be a traveler from afar?"

"Doesn't look like it. His outfit doesn't match any of the Seven Nations, and I'm an adventurer who's been to all of them!"

This exchange sounded like idle chatter, but it caught the attention of a shorter figure.

It was none other than the Vigilant Yaksha and Three-Eyed Five-Spun Yaksha, Xiao!

"Strange attire?"

As everyone knew, Xiao was a frequent visitor to Wangshu Inn. Because the inn was located in the center of Dihua Marsh and built on high ground, it offered an incredibly wide field of vision, making it very convenient for monitoring the surroundings.

Looking southeast from here, one could see the Guyun Stone Forest, where a god was sealed beneath, making it a breeding ground for evil spirits.

Furthermore, the road by Wangshu Inn was one of the main thoroughfares to Liyue Harbor.

Therefore, guarding this location was of vital importance!

To this day, Xiao continued to fulfill his duty!

"A stranger in strange attire—"

Xiao furrowed his brows, watching Chen Fan's retreating back as he descended the stairs. After weighing his options, he ultimately decided to rise and follow.

However.

Before he could intercept Chen Fan, he saw that Chen Fan had already been blocked by someone at the bottom of the stairs!

"It's you!"

The person who had arrived was none other than Lumine, who had rushed over from Mondstadt, along with her Emergency Food!

The moment she caught sight of Chen Fan descending, her eyes widened. She hurried forward, Anemo energy swirling around her as she drew her Dull Blade. "Hand over the Anemo Gnosis!"

Previously.

At the entrance of the Favonius Cathedral.

Lumine had witnessed the scene where La Signora snatched the Anemo Gnosis and held it up against the twilight sun, only for Chen Fan to seize it using the Imperance Chain.

That was the very last thing she had seen before losing consciousness.

Therefore.

She recognized Chen Fan the moment she laid eyes on him.

"Heh!"

Seeing Lumine blocking his path, Chen Fan chuckled. "It's you two."

"I didn't expect you to have seen me in that city of bards."

"However—"

He paused, smiling as he looked at the Traveler. "With your strength, even if you add the Vigilant Yaksha to the mix, you won't necessarily be able to snatch the Gnosis back from me."

"But if you insist on fighting, I don't mind indulging you."

As he spoke, Chen Fan looked at Lumine with a meaningful gaze. "After all, an outlander who defies the heavens—I am quite curious about your strength."

An outlander—who defies the heavens!?

These words, as if triggering a keyword, caused Lumine's mind to go blank in an instant!

Long-buried memories flooded back in a flash, and her face was instantly filled with shock!

If she remembered correctly—this was the exact phrase spoken by the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles!

"You—"

"Do you wish to know the whereabouts of your kin?"

Lumine's expression changed drastically, and she demanded sharply, "What did you say!?"

"Heh!"

Chen Fan smiled and shook his head, shifting the topic. "Let's put that subject aside for now."

"I am planning to head to Liyue to attend their Rite of Descension; I don't have the time to answer your questions right now."

"So, farewell, outlander."

Lumine's expression jolted. "Stop right there!"

She brandished her Dull Blade and charged toward Chen Fan.

However.

Chen Fan lifted his right arm with effortless ease. With a metallic clang, Lumine instantly felt her arm go numb, and the Dull Blade clattered to the ground.

"Don't go!"

Though her sword had fallen and her right arm was paralyzed, Lumine refused to give up. She shouted sharply, "I said stop!"

In an instant, wild winds gathered, forming a tornado that swept toward Chen Fan.

It was Lumine's Anemo elemental burst: Gust Surge!

"I told you, this level of strength is useless against me—"

Facing the incoming tornado, Chen Fan raised his right arm. A brilliant light erupted from it, and a pitch-black radiance emerged, manifesting into a dark veil.

The tornado slammed into the veil, yet it had no effect. To her horror, Lumine felt the Anemo energy she had gathered beginning to dissipate—

"How is this possible?"

The tornado vanished with a whistle, and the black veil transformed into a massive dark hand, descending to suppress Lumine!

"We're done for, we're done for!"

Seeing this, the Emergency Food shrieked in terror, her face turning pale!

And just then!

A low shout rang out!

"Bane of All Evil!"

A cyan-and-black wind-swept figure charged forward like a cannonball. A phantom trident formed of wind descended from the sky, striking toward Chen Fan's dark hand!

"Boom!"

In an instant, elemental power poured out, whipping up a gale that felt like the prelude to a torrential downpour.

The Emergency Food was blown away, crashing into a nearby rock, where she promptly passed out.