The Divine Court is on the run! The Paladin is on the run!

Dragon Xia Kingdom.

Thousands of miles east of the Kunlun Mountains.

Within a towering, majestic peak suspended tens of thousands of feet in the sky.

Several imposing figures, their auras as deep as the sea and seemingly integrated with heaven and earth, were sitting around a round table made of Star Stones.

They were the Guardian gods of Dragon Xia Kingdom.

Powerful Martial Gods!

Blazing Sun Martial God!

Flying Moon Sword God, Shangguan Jinghong!

Moon Devouring War God, Tie Kuang!

And... the pillar of the Lin family, Lin Yuan's grandfather, Lin Zhan!

At the very moment that golden pillar of light shot into the sky!

These Martial Gods, who had long stood at the pinnacle of the world, all stopped what they were doing at once.

Their gazes seemed to pierce through endless space.

Together, they looked toward the Kunlun Mountains.

"Hmm? What an astonishing phenomenon!"

A look of surprise appeared on the Blazing Sun Martial God's face, which naturally commanded respect without anger.

"This aura... a mere Breakthrough to the Meridian Opening Realm can actually trigger such a heavenly phenomenon?"

Flying Moon Sword God Shangguan Jinghong's cold voice also carried a trace of undisguised shock.

"This boy's growth speed... even in ancient times, an era when prodigies emerged in large numbers, he would be among the very best!"

Moon Devouring War God Tie Kuang's voice, resonant as a great bell, was full of praise.

Listening to the praise of his companions...

Lin Zhan, who had been sitting in the main seat with his eyes closed to rest, finally opened them slowly.

A faint smile appeared on his face as he said in a flat tone, "Haha, the three of you overpraise him. The boy is young and still needs tempering."

Though he said so...

The pride and doting affection between his brows could not be hidden.

It already explained everything... On the other side.

On the Oulu Continent, separated from Dragon Xia Kingdom by an endless sea...

Above a scorched wasteland shrouded in war and death.

Blood stained the earth red.

Thick black smoke rose from the ruins and broken walls.

A nauseating smell permeated the air.

"Captain! Go! We... we'll hold them back!"

A young knight in silver armor used his longsword, its edge already chipped, to prop himself up on the ground.

His chest had been completely pierced by a hideous claw mark!

Blood poured frantically from his mouth.

However, there was no trace of Fear in his green eyes.

There was only endless determination!

"Go!!!"

He used the last of his strength to let out a shrill roar.

Puchi!

The next second.

A strange shadow as black as ink suddenly lunged out from the darkness behind him like a venomous snake.

In an instant, it pierced through his skull!

The young knight's body suddenly stiffened.

The light in his eyes quickly dimmed.

Finally, he fell heavily into a pool of blood.

"No—!!!!"

Ryan, the captain of the Holy Knights Order's third squad, watched as his last subordinate died tragically before his eyes.

His green eyes were instantly filled with endless bloodshot veins.

His heart felt as if it were being violently torn apart by an invisible hand!

Pain!

Pain that went deep into his marrow!

They were warriors of the Holy Knights Order!

They were the first line of defense protecting the Oulu Continent and resisting exotic beasts!

But now... they hadn't died in a tragic battle against beasts.

Instead, they were being slaughtered by the Divine Court, a group of fellow humans who were traitors to humanity!

An ambush!

This was a long-premeditated, bloody ambush targeting their Holy Knights Order!

"Hehehe..."

A raspy laugh, like that of an owl, slowly came from the shadows nearby.

Following that...

Over a dozen figures in pitch-black robes, wearing strange masks, stepped out from various corners of the ruins.

They emitted a cold, evil aura full of death.

The leader was tall.

The abyss-like, terrifying pressure he emitted had impressively reached the Peak Huagang Realm!

Step by step, he slowly walked toward Ryan, who was already heavily wounded and having difficulty even standing.

Every step he took seemed to stomp on Ryan's heart.

"Weren't you dogs of the Holy Knights Order quite good at fighting?"

The leading black-robed person spoke in a playful tone, like a cat playing with a mouse.

"What's wrong?"

"Now, you're the only one left?"

"Truly... pathetic."

A total humiliation!

Ryan's body trembled violently with anger.

He jolted the spear in his hand, pointing the tip directly at the opponent: "You bunch of bottom-dwelling rats hiding your heads and tails!"

"Divine Court?! How laughable!"

"You deserve to be called gods?! You are just a group of executioners who slaughter the innocent! The Holy Knights Order will never let you get away with this!"

"Is that so? Unfortunately... you won't live to see it."

The black-robed person let out a disdainful sneer.

The moment he finished speaking...

His figure moved!

Fast!

Extremely fast!

It was as if he directly ignored the distance of space!

In an instant, he appeared in front of Ryan!

His hand, withered like a chicken claw, carried a terrifying power capable of tearing steel as it lunged fiercely for Ryan's heart!

If this claw hit home!

Ryan would undoubtedly die!

At this critical moment...

A look of resolute ferocity flashed in Ryan's eyes.

He did not choose to defend.

Instead, he poured all the remaining strength in his body into the spear in his hand.

Advancing instead of retreating!

With a tragic posture of mutual destruction, he stabbed fiercely toward the opponent's throat!

"Oh? You want to trade lives with me?"

A hint of surprise flashed in the black-robed person's eyes.

But he still didn't panic in the slightest.

The hand reaching for Ryan's heart made a strange turn in mid-air.

Clang!!!

A loud sound of metal clashing.

He actually used his palm to forcefully block Ryan's full-strength spear thrust!

Sparks flew in all directions!

An irresistible, terrifying giant force surged frantically from the shaft of the spear!

Crack!

The steel spear in Ryan's hand snapped!

Puff!

His entire body was hit as if by a stampeding beast.

A mouthful of hot blood sprayed out!

His body flew backward like a kite with a broken string!

He slammed heavily into a broken wall dozens of meters away, not even slowing down as he smashed through wall after wall behind him!

Finally, he crashed heavily into a large pile of building rubble!

"Cough... cough cough..."

Ryan struggled, trying to crawl up from the ground.

However, his injuries were simply too severe.

The bones throughout his body seemed to have been completely shattered by the shock.

Even moving a finger became a luxury.

"It's over."

The black-robed person paced forward slowly.

He looked down from above at Ryan, who was slumped on the ground like a dead dog.

The eyes behind the mask were full of a victor's cruelty and pleasure.

"In your next life, remember not to become an enemy of my Divine Court again."

He slowly raised his foot.

Preparing to crush Ryan's skull with one stomp.

But at that moment...

Ryan's pupils, which had already begun to lose focus, suddenly constricted.

He looked at the familiar surroundings.

This was... this was where that spatial rift leading to Dragon Xia Kingdom had been located!

Although that rift had been forcibly sealed by an unknown Longxia powerhouse...

The spatial node here was still extremely unstable!

A mad thought suddenly surged into his mind!

The retreat had long been cut off.

Escaping back to headquarters was already impossible.

Rather than dying at the hands of these disgusting rats...

He might as well... take a gamble!

"You want to kill me?!"

A strange, crazed smile suddenly appeared on Ryan's face.

"You... are not worthy?!"

The next second!

Using his final willpower, he took out a magnificent warhammer, its body crimson as if lava were flowing within it.

An Earth-Grade Medium Grade divine weapon, the Hammer of Blazing Flames!

"Not good! He's going to self-detonate his divine weapon!"

The black-robed person's face changed drastically.

He wanted to stop it.

But it was already too late!

"With my blood, I burn my soul!"

"Explode!!!"

Ryan let out a crazed roar.

Boom—!!!!!!

That terrifying Earth-Grade Medium Grade divine weapon exploded!

A terrifying firestorm, enough to level everything within several kilometers, instantly swept through the entire ruins!

But this power did not spread outward.

Instead, Ryan used his final will to blast it all toward that already unstable spatial node!

Crack—!!!

Space was like fragile glass!

It was forcibly torn open by this extremely violent power, creating a pitch-black irregular rift!

On the other side of the rift was an endless spatial turbulence.

"Go!"

Ryan seized the opportunity.

Using his last bit of strength, he dove headfirst into that spatial rift that could close at any moment!