A joint operation? Patton set a trap, and Lin Yuan pretended to be stupid and fell into it!

"Oh? Gloomy Forest?"

"Sounds quite interesting."

He nodded and said lazily, "Alright, let's go and take a look."

"Great!" Seeing Lin Yuan agree, Barton was overjoyed in his heart, but his face remained calm, merely waving his fist excitedly. "With Lord Lin joining, our operation this time will definitely be a success!"

"Instructor Su, you..."

Su Li was extremely anxious when she saw Lin Yuan actually agree.

"You come along too."

Lin Yuan interrupted her, his tone flat but unquestionable.

"Bring everyone."

Su Li looked into Lin Yuan's calm eyes. Although her heart was still filled with doubt and worry, out of trust in Lin Yuan, she finally nodded.

"Yes!"

She didn't know what medicine Lin Yuan was selling in his gourd, but she chose to believe him.

"Good! Then let's depart immediately!" Barton, fearing Lin Yuan would go back on his word, urged immediately.

Although Aila also felt that Barton's performance today seemed a bit too eager, she didn't think much of it, assuming it was just Barton's eagerness to avenge the Third Squad.

She immediately turned around to assemble her Knight Order squad.

Soon, the two teams gathered at the gate of the Fortress of Glory.

A "joint operation" where everyone had their own ulterior motives was about to unfold.

...

Gloomy Forest.

As the name implies, this is a forest shrouded in darkness all year round.

Towering ancient trees blocked the sky and sun, sunlight could barely penetrate the dense canopy, making the light in the forest dim and filled with a damp, rotten aura.

The ground was covered with thick fallen leaves, soft and silent when stepped upon.

The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet; not even a bird call or insect chirp could be heard, only the slight sound of armor rubbing against each other as they marched.

A suppressed and dangerous atmosphere permeated the air.

"It's... so quiet here."

Aila gripped the longsword in her hand, her azure eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly, with a trace of unease on her face.

As an experienced knight, she could feel that this forest was filled with strangeness everywhere.

"Quietness just means there's a big fish!"

Barton carried his giant axe, walking at the very front of the team, with a bloodthirsty smile on his face, though that smile looked ill-intentioned no matter how one looked at it.

"Everyone, follow closely. According to intelligence, the Divine Court's stronghold is in that valley ahead!"

He pointed to a darker canyon in front and said loudly.

Everyone followed him, continuing to walk deeper into the forest.

Lin Yuan remained in that lazy manner, walking in the middle of the team, as if he were on an outing.

Su Li followed closely by his side, the True Qi in her body raised to the Peak, ready to deal with any sudden situation at any time.

When everyone had just stepped into the entrance of the canyon.

The anomaly finally happened!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Countless black figures, like ghosts, suddenly rushed out from the dense forest on both sides of the canyon!

They held various poisoned weapons, exuding a cold and fanatical Killing Intent, instantly surrounding Lin Yuan and the Holy Knights Order team!

A rough look showed at least over two thousand people!

Moreover, it was interspersed with dozens of powerful experts in the Meridian Opening Realm!

"Not good! It's an ambush!"

Aila's face changed drastically. She shouted sharply, and the knights behind her immediately formed a circular defensive formation, protecting Lin Yuan and the others in the middle.

"Captain Barton! We've been ambushed! Quickly break out!" Aila shouted anxiously at Barton.

However, she discovered that Barton, who should have been charging at the very front, had stopped his steps at this moment.

He slowly turned around, the heroic smile on his face had disappeared, replaced by a hideous and twisted madness!

The giant axe in his hand did not point at the surrounding Divine Court ambushers; instead, it slowly aimed at Lin Yuan, who was being protected by the knights in the center!

"Break out?"

Barton let out a hair-raising burst of wild laughter.

"Aila, my dear vice-captain, have you misunderstood something?"

"Today, this place will be the burial ground for all of you!"

Seeing this scene, Aila was struck by lightning, and her whole body froze in place.

Her beautiful face was filled with disbelief.

"Barton... you... what do you mean by this?!"

"What do I mean?"

The smile on Barton's face became increasingly hideous.

"It means I have long been cooperating with the Divine Court! All of this is a trap I prepared for you!"

"Lin Yuan! Didn't expect this, did you?! Aren't you very good at fighting? Didn't you wipe out the Black Stone Valley stronghold by yourself? Today, I want to see how you survive when facing enemies several times your number, and with me as an inside agent!"

Barton pointed at Lin Yuan, letting out a hysterical roar, releasing the Fear and resentment he had suppressed all night.

"Why?!"

Aila's body trembled violently due to anger and betrayal.

She couldn't believe that the captain she had always respected and trusted, the man who kept the word "glory" on his lips, would actually be a traitor to the Knight Order!

"Why did you betray the Knight Order?! Why did you betray your faith?!" she questioned sharply.

"Faith? Glory?"

Barton seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world.

"What can those ethereal things bring me? Can they bring me power? Can they bring me status?"

"The Divine Court can! The Divine Official has promised me that after this is done, I will be the new captain of the Fifth Knight Order! And you all will become the stepping stones for me to reach the Peak!"

Barton had completely torn off his disguise, revealing his ugliest fangs.

"You shameless traitor!" Aila was trembling with anger. She raised her longsword, pointing it at Barton. "I will clean up the house myself today!"

"Just you?" Barton sneered disdainfully; he couldn't be bothered to talk nonsense to these dying people anymore.

He held his giant axe high, giving the final order to the surrounding Divine Court ambushers.

"Everyone, attack!"

"Kill them! Leave no one alive!"

"Kill!"

Following Barton's order, those two thousand Divine Court ambushers, like floodwaters bursting through a dam, let out bursts of crazy roars, rushing from all directions towards the group surrounded in the center!

The black wave instantly swept through the entire canyon!

"Form up! Engage the enemy!"

Aila let out a sorrowful and angry cry. She took the lead, her longsword swirling into a gorgeous sword flower, instantly cutting down several enemies charging at the front.

The hundred knights behind her also reacted quickly. They suppressed the shock and pain of being betrayed by their captain, roaring as they engaged in a brutal slaughter with the enemies rushing up.

Swords flashed, flesh and blood flew!

However, the number of enemies was simply too large!

The Holy Knights Order team was almost instantly engulfed by the black wave. The defensive formation was shattered, and knights constantly let out screams, falling into pools of blood.

The warriors of Dragon Xia Kingdom were also stuck in a bitter battle.

But, right in this chaotic battlefield.

Lin Yuan finally moved.

He no longer stood by and watched the show like before.

An unprecedentedly terrifying aura, like a sleeping ancient Vicious Beast, slowly awakened within his body!

"Hum—!"

A layer of brilliant and sacred golden radiance suddenly erupted from his body, instantly penetrating his skin and flesh, reflecting him entirely as a golden deity!

Through that golden light, one could even vaguely see that every bone in his body had become like cast gold, with profound Sword Intent runes flowing on them!

Lingxiao Sword Bone, fully activated!

"That... what is that?!"

The laughing Barton's smile suddenly froze. He looked at Lin Yuan, who was like a Heavenly God descending, with disbelief, a feeling of extremely ominous premonition rising in his heart.

And the next second, his premonition became reality.

Lin Yuan's figure moved.

He did not draw his sword, nor did he use any Move.

He just stepped forward and swung a punch casually.

This punch looked ordinary, without the slightest fluctuation of True Qi.

However, the moment the fist was swung, a sharp-to-the-extreme Sword Intent, as if capable of tearing the sky, erupted along with the fist wind!

"Puchi!"

The dozen Divine Court soldiers rushing at the front didn't even have time to scream before their bodies were like being cut by invisible sharp blades, instantly falling apart and turning into a pile of minced meat on the ground!

The power of one punch reached such a level!

Lin Yuan's figure turned into a golden stream of light, actively rushing into the dense crowd of enemies.

He was like an invincible god of war, charging recklessly on the battlefield.

Every time he swung his fist, it carried a majestic Sword Intent capable of splitting mountains!

Every time he kicked, it stirred up terrifying Sword Qi that tore through space!

I am the sword, the sword is me!

At this moment, Lin Yuan's body was the sharpest divine weapon!

Those fearless Divine Court ambushers were as fragile as paper in front of this absolute power.

They couldn't even get close to Lin Yuan's body before being shredded into a cloud of blood mist by the omnipresent protective Sword Qi!

Wherever Lin Yuan passed, he left a road of death paved with blood and minced meat!

This was no longer a battle; it was a one-sided massacre!

In just a few breaths, more than half of those two thousand Divine Court ambushers had already fallen!

The remaining people finally woke up from their fanaticism. They looked at that figure like a demon god, their eyes filled with extreme Fear, and they could no longer muster even the slightest desire to fight.

"Devil! He is a devil!"

"Run!"

They let out terrified screams, threw away their weapons, and turned to run.

And Barton, standing in the distance, was already dumbfounded, his whole body cold.

The hideousness and pride on his face had long since disappeared, replaced by endless Fear and regret.

He finally understood what kind of terrifying existence he had provoked!

"Martial God?"

No! Even a Martial God would definitely not have such terrifying strength!

He actually dared to plot an ambush to kill such a demon-god?

This was simply the most ridiculous thing in the world!

"Run!"

Must run immediately!

In Barton's heart, only this one thought remained.

He turned abruptly, urging the True Qi in his body to the limit, wanting to escape towards the depths of the forest.

However, the moment he turned, a golden figure appeared in front of him like a ghost, silently.

It was Lin Yuan.

"You... what do you want?!" Barton looked at the indifferent golden eyes in front of him, scared to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, his voice trembling.

"Don't... don't kill me! I... I can help you! I know all the secrets of the Divine Court!" He begged incoherently.

Lin Yuan didn't speak, just looked at him quietly.

Barton felt his scalp tingle from being stared at. He roared, the desire to survive letting him burst out with his final courage.

He raised the giant axe in his hand, using all his strength, and chopped fiercely towards the top of Lin Yuan's head!

Facing this thunderous blow, Lin Yuan just slowly raised his hand.

He extended a finger, and on the fingertip, a wisp of golden Sword Qi lingered.

Then, under Barton's horrified gaze, he gently tapped on the blade of the giant axe.

"Clang!"

A crisp sound.

The next second.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

That giant axe, forged from special alloy and seemingly indestructible, was like fragile glass, shattering inch by inch from the blade!

Finally, in Barton's hand, it turned into a pile of iron filings!

Barton's body completely froze.

He looked at his empty hands, then looked at the unscathed Lin Yuan in front of him, and the last line of defense in his mind completely collapsed.

"Thump."

His legs went soft, and he collapsed to the ground. A foul-smelling, hot wetness came from his crotch.

He had actually been scared to the point of peeing himself.