Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!

Not long after Lu Su made his move, the Demon Army lowered its banners and ceased its attacks on Great Ming and the Tsardom of Russia.

Others might not have guessed the reason, but as the person at the center of it all, Lu Su could more or less guess that they had been frightened by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto’s Ten Trillion Deaths Great Burial Array.

After all, without knowing exactly how it worked, the Demon Army could not possibly allow Lu Su to keep building momentum. They could only temporarily abandon their offensive plans.

After Lu Su and Petrovna returned to Hami Guard, the several Master Card Masters learned the full story of what had happened.

Compared to Fang Wenlong and Ji Weirui, who roughly understood Lu Su’s situation, the upper ranks of the Tsardom of Russia were undoubtedly more shocked.

Although they had previously investigated Lu Su’s past, they had never expected him to directly summon an existence comparable to a Master Grade.

They never even considered the possibility of him borrowing another’s prestige. After all, their own princess had said so—how could it be false?

At that moment, Catherine looked at the calm-faced youth in the distance and said, "Petrovna, get closer to him from now on."

The moment she heard that, Petrovna’s fair face instantly flushed crimson. She stammered, "M-M-M-Mother!"

"What are you talking about?!"

Seeing her reaction, Catherine immediately realized that her daughter had likely misunderstood what she meant.

She had only said it because she wanted the girl to strengthen her relationship with Lu Su. Judging from the strength and talent he had displayed, it was not impossible for him to reach Hall of Fame Grade in the future.

Catherine sighed but did not correct Petrovna. She merely thought to herself, If we can really lure him into the Empire, that would not be unacceptable.

Of course, she would never forcibly twist Petrovna’s will. But judging from her daughter’s current behavior, she was at least not repulsed by the youth.

After a moment of silence, Catherine left her with one final remark. "…If that day comes, remember to tell him that the Empire only accepts men marrying into the family."

That was the Tsardom of Russia’s bottom line. They could not end up like Great Ming’s Grand Commander Zhou, losing both the woman and the battle.

Leaving behind a girl whose mind had completely shut down, Catherine stepped forward and began speaking with Fang Wenlong.

Over the past two days, the border defenses of Great Ming and the Tsardom of Russia had more or less been arranged. It was time to strike at the Demon Army’s Army Lords.

"Minister Fang, Minister Ji, Minister Lu."

Catherine looked at the three Card Masters from Great Ming and gave them a slight nod in greeting.

It was not difficult to tell from her words that the Empress now regarded Lu Su as an existence on the same level as Fang Wenlong and Ji Weirui.

"According to the intelligence we have gathered, the Demon Army’s Army Lords have all been in Thousand Peaks City these past few days."

At that, a shadow flashed through Catherine’s eyes. Thousand Peaks City had once been the Empire’s capital.

The fall of one’s homeland was nothing more than this.

Lu Su and the other two were not surprised by her expression. Former Song had suffered a similar fate.

After weighing his words, Fang Wenlong said somewhat tentatively, "Your Majesty, how about we launch a full-scale attack within the next two days?"

"Once the border armies move out, we will raid Thousand Peaks City and carry out a Decapitation Strike."

"To be safe, Ye Diantang will keep watch that day in case our battle goes poorly."

Although Ye Zhou’s current condition no longer supported him fighting at full strength, providing support would not place too much pressure on him.

Over the past few days, Catherine had naturally sensed that Great Ming’s Hall of Fame Grade Card Master was likely in poor condition. However, she had no intention of probing into the matter and merely kept her doubts to herself.

Upon hearing Fang Wenlong’s proposal, she nodded slightly. "Then we shall proceed as Minister Fang suggests—"

Before she could finish, a figure hurried over to her side.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened."

"The Fallen Cult has launched attacks within the Empire."

Catherine’s expression immediately changed. "How severe are the losses?"

The messenger first glanced awkwardly at the people from Great Ming, then gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, the situation is not good. I fear you or Grand Duke Nicholas will need to return and provide support."

Grand Duke Nicholas was the Master Card Master who had come to Hami Guard with Catherine.

He was also Petrovna’s uncle.

Upon hearing the answer, Catherine’s face turned exceedingly grim. She naturally realized that this was likely the Demon Army’s doing. Otherwise, how could the timing be so coincidental?

Their goal was naturally to weaken the alliance’s combat power.

Very quickly, the Empress of the Tsardom of Russia made her decision. "I understand. You may leave first."

After the messenger withdrew, she looked solemnly at Lu Su and the other two. "My lords, I wish to launch the raid ahead of schedule."

Then she turned to Fang Wenlong. "Please inform Lord Ye."

She did not choose to send Grand Duke Nicholas back to the Empire for support, as that would undoubtedly give the Demon Army an opportunity.

The moment Nikolai showed himself in the Empire, the Demon Army’s Army Lords would likely raid Hami Guard.

Since that was the case, it was better to end this quickly.

If they won, all would be well.

If they lost, they would retreat under Ye Zhou’s protection, resolve the domestic crisis, and make further plans afterward.

"I understand."

Fang Wenlong immediately nodded. He was no fool and naturally understood the implications.

Fortunately, the Fallen Cult was only particularly rampant in Europa.

After all, the vast majority of cult members were white, so causing trouble in Great Ming was not so easy.

At the very least, no one had reported any incidents within Great Ming so far.

Seeing Fang Wenlong begin contacting Ye Zhou, Catherine took a deep breath, then turned and walked toward Petrovna. She said solemnly, "My daughter, the Empire needs you now."

"Go back."

"I will have the Imperial Guard accompany you."

She then briefly explained the current situation to the girl.

Upon hearing it, Petrovna could not help feeling nervous and frightened.

Only when the weight of responsibility settled heavily upon her shoulders did she realize that the growth she had dreamed of was not as wonderful as she had imagined.

She pressed her lips together and looked helplessly at Catherine. "Mother."

As though seeing the fear in the girl’s heart, Catherine sighed helplessly and prepared to explain why she was doing this.

With the Empire facing disaster and its Empress absent from the country, morale would undoubtedly suffer a severe blow. Yet Catherine truly could not leave.

That made Petrovna, as the "heir," especially important at this moment.

The girl’s appearance could raise morale, soothe the people, increase her own prestige, and lay the foundation for her future rule.

Just as Catherine was thinking this and about to speak, Petrovna took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm. "I understand, Mother."

"I will return."

"I swear upon my surname that the Empire will remain safe and sound."

Hearing those words, Catherine swallowed what she had been about to say. She stood there in a daze, looking at Petrovna.

She could naturally see that the girl was still somewhat lost and helpless inside, but—

After a long while, Catherine let out a soft breath. A smile appeared on her face, and Petrovna’s figure was reflected in her eyes. "…You have grown up."

"My daughter."

Thousand Peaks City.

Several Army Lords of the Demon Army stood silently amid the endless snowstorm, their figures swallowed by the pale snow.

Then a voice broke the dead silence.

"What choice do you think they will make?"

The speaker was the Dark Armored Warlord.

Beside him, the White-Armored Female Demon casually waved a hand, blowing away the snow within several kilometers. Then she said expressionlessly, "It seems they are preparing to end this quickly."

The other four Army Lords present nodded in agreement with her judgment.

The Fallen Cult’s attack within the Tsardom of Russia had originally been arranged through Jin Ping. Naturally, they had long anticipated the Empire’s response.

If Catherine or Nikolai left Hami Guard, they would launch a raid.

Otherwise, they would do exactly as they were doing now—lay a net of heaven and earth over Thousand Peaks City.

There was, however, one other possibility: the enemy could remain still. But that would be the best outcome for the Demon Army.

After all, the outsiders were the ones in a hurry, not them.

If this dragged on until Jin Ping and the others fully recovered, the Demon Army’s crisis would resolve itself.

Whoosh—!

At that moment, accompanied by a piercing howl, a golden yellow meteor streaked across the sky and fell toward the very center of Thousand Peaks City.

Seeing this, the Dark Armored Warlord snorted coldly. The shadows wrapped around his body covered the entire city in the blink of an eye.

"Fang Wenlong."

"There is no need to keep playing such petty tricks."

The attack was blocked. The golden yellow meteor paused in midair before landing before the five Army Lords.

As the light faded, Fang Wenlong’s unsurprised face was revealed. "As expected, you were prepared."

Ignoring him, the White-Armored Female Demon opened her mouth. Her cold voice instantly spread through the surroundings. "Since you are here, stop hiding."

At that moment, an enormous mountain range appeared out of thin air.

It was Kunlun Hills. Lu Su and the others were currently within Ji Weirui’s Field Card. After all, unlike Fang Wenlong, they could not engage Master Grade Demons in close combat.

When the Army Lords clearly saw the mountain range, faint disgust appeared on their faces.

The Army Lord responsible for the experiments frowned deeply and could not help cursing, "Card Masters are truly disgusting."

But when he thought of the preparations they had made beforehand, his brows relaxed again.

At that moment, neither the Card Masters nor the Demons had any desire to speak with the other side.

The battle was on the verge of erupting.

Then the White-Armored Female Demon said softly, "Do it."

As her words fell, a massive blue-white Magic Array instantly enveloped everyone present.

Lu Su and the others immediately felt that something was wrong. They promptly sent out their cards, intending to destroy the Magic Array.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

The Army Lord in charge of experiments grinned and said mockingly, "Since we dared lure you here, how could we possibly fail to prepare for your Field Card?"

Ji Weirui’s Kunlun Hills had been entered into their intelligence files many years ago. Naturally, the Demon Army had prepared countermeasures.

Just like this.

"Binding Barrier: Stripping Array!"

The next moment, Lu Su, who was within Kunlun Hills, felt the world spin around him.

By the time he regained his senses, Ji Weirui and her cards had vanished without a trace. Only Lu Su, Fang Wenlong, Catherine, and Nikolai remained.

Meanwhile, the Demon Army’s five Army Lords still stood quietly in place.

"Fang Wenlong."

"Catherine."

"Nikolai."

"And a newly emerged Master Grade?"

"Hmm?"

The white-robed Army Lord had been about to say, "Four against five—the advantage is ours," when he suddenly noticed something was wrong.

"Why are you Diamond Grade?"

The five Demons all looked at Lu Su with uncertainty.

Due to Kunlun Hills concealing him earlier, they had been unable to sense the youth’s aura. Only now did they discover that there was someone present who was not Master Grade.

Upon realizing this, the Army Lords of the Demon Army looked at Lu Su with strange expressions or mockery.

They naturally knew that Lu Su had previously injured the Nation-Destroying Fox Spirit, but they were not like that cowardly fox.

The white-robed Army Lord lost interest in talking. He shook his head slightly and said calmly, "If you must blame someone, blame yourself for entering a battlefield you had no business entering."

He believed Lu Su had dared come here only because Ji Weirui was protecting him.

Lu Su could naturally feel the contempt the five Master Grade Demons held for him, but he could not be bothered to explain anything to his enemies.

With a thought, an enormous number of cards appeared before him.

Seeing that Lu Su possessed far more cards than an ordinary Card Master, the Army Lords could not help raising their brows.

The White-Armored Female Demon’s gaze flickered as she murmured, "Is this your confidence?"

"How laughable."

As her words fell, she vanished from the spot in a flash.

Fang Wenlong and the other two immediately tried to stop her, but the other Master Grade Demons intercepted them.

Although Catherine did not possess a matching Hall of Fame Grade Card, she had no problem facing two Master Grade Demons by herself.

At the same time, many Diamond Grade Demons flew out of Thousand Peaks City, while countless Demons below Jade Grade launched attacks at Lu Su’s group of four.

With wolves before him and tigers behind, Lu Su’s expression remained unchanged.

Before him, Hashirama Senju stood among the cards and instantly entered Sage Mode. Dark blue markings appeared across his face in an instant.

He rapidly formed hand seals, then shouted, "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"

The next moment, countless thick vines burst from the ground, while flowers bloomed across the enormous branches in the span of a breath.

Pale yellow pollen mixed with the wind and snow, drifting in every direction.

In only a few moments, Thousand Peaks City was covered by a forest.

Combined with the blizzard filling the sky, the scene was enough to make one’s blood run cold.

Beside Hashirama Senju, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto also entered Bankai.

The white-bearded elder plunged Zanka no Tachi into the ground and slowly spoke the name of his technique. "Zanka no Tachi: South: Ten Trillion Deaths Great Burial Array."

Just as Luffy and Kurosaki Ichigo, both protagonists, seemed to have some strange chemical reaction between them, Hashirama Senju and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto—both once the ultimate background powerhouses—were the same.

Do not underestimate old men, you bastard!

As charred skeletons crawled out of the earth, danger lurked everywhere within the Deep Forest Emergence. The Demons in Thousand Peaks City now had to prevent themselves from being knocked unconscious by the pollen while also remaining alert for spirits that might be hiding in the darkness.

The White-Armored Female Demon had already appeared before Lu Su. Looking at Lu Su in Holy Blade Armor, she murmured softly, "Petty tricks."

She could naturally feel the pollen in the air affecting her mind, but so what?

At the end of the day, it was only a Diamond Grade Card.