A week later, the vampire army began to assemble. Iris, dressed in black armor with a cloak draped over her, stood on a high platform, gazing at the massive vampire army below. She extended her arms, crossing them in front of her chest, her face expressionless, her eyes deep and profound.
"Quick march! Advance towards White Stork!" Iris commanded, and the vampire soldiers spread their blood wings and took flight, heading towards the direction of White Stork.
"Dugu, you lead the Shadow Guards from behind."
Dugu respectfully bowed and answered, "Yes!"
He then waved his hand, and hundreds of Shadow Guards turned into a stream of light, closely following behind the vampire army.
Immediately after, Iris spread her wings and flew into the sky. The four demon generals followed closely, rushing towards the White Stork Empire.
...
Yi Yinchuan tightened his belt and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice to himself, "This should alleviate the hunger, right? It's been one year and nine months, when will our reinforcements come to save us?"
"There won't be reinforcements." The winged fire serpent beside him shook its head heavily. "The angels have stationed themselves near the Gateway of Interactions. To break through their defense line, the Alliance army must awaken the ancient behemoth or send out a million troops."
"How many of our soldiers are still alive?" Yi Yinchuan asked.
"Less than five thousand," the winged fire serpent answered.
"If it weren't for the protection of the Jade God Tree, that angel outside the city with dual swords would have rampaged in already."
"It's good that there are fewer people. At least the crops we've grown are enough."
"As long as the reinforcements can't come, our ultimate fate is death. Right now, we're just barely clinging to survival."
Yi Yinchuan and the winged fire serpent glanced at each other, sighing. They didn't dare hope for more; just being able to survive up until now was already quite good.
Perhaps death was a form of liberation. Once dead, they wouldn't have to endure the torment of pain. The winged fire serpent thought to himself, exhausted from this kind of life, hoping only to enjoy a moment of tranquility before dying.
"Ah~ Ah~"
A scream rang out from beneath the city wall, shattering the silence of the night.
Yi Yinchuan and the winged fire serpent exchanged glances and immediately moved in the direction where the sound came from.
They didn't have the strength to run or fly; they could only slowly make their way over.
When they arrived at their destination, they saw bodies lying beneath the city wall. Their bodies were stiff, their pupils wide open, their eyes filled with fear and despair.
There was a hideous wound on their throats, clearly indicating they had been killed by some kind of sharp blade. Until their deaths, they hadn't realized how they were killed.
The crimson blood stained the ground, the pungent smell of blood permeating the entire city wall, making people nauseated.
Yi Yinchuan and the winged fire serpent weren't afraid when they saw this scene. They were warriors of the Ruined Land, starving to death was disgraceful, dying in battle was their ultimate fate.
Suddenly, four Shadow Guards attacked from both sides, pouncing towards Yi Yinchuan and the winged fire serpent. The sharp blades tore through their clothes, cutting deep wounds on their bodies.
Yi Yinchuan and the winged fire serpent quickly fought back, but due to the lack of replenishment and their hunger and weakness, they were no match for the four Shadow Guards.
To protect Yi Yinchuan, the winged fire serpent endured an attack from the four Shadow Guards, flew backward, and fell to the ground, kicking up countless dust.
Yi Yinchuan moved his body towards the center of the city, and he infused all of his magical energy into the earth, awakening the Jade God Tree. "Looks like there are a lot of scapegoats to be found..."
Then he collapsed to the ground and died.
Green branches extended rapidly from the soil, piercing into the bodies of the four shadow guards.
The four shadow guards stared wide-eyed, their eyes filled with bloodshot veins. The next second, they collapsed with a loud crash, losing all signs of life.
After absorbing the flesh and blood of the four shadow guards, the Jade God Tree grew even stronger. Golden patterns flowed on its leaves, and its color became more profound, as if nurturing something within.
Watching this scene from a distance, Iris twitched the corner of her mouth. "Those four shadow guards couldn't instantly kill two winged men who were weak and hungry. What a waste."
"Your Majesty, should we execute this group of shadow guards who failed to meet your expectations?" Dugu asked beside her.
"Fool!" Iris scolded softly, "Shadow guards require resources to cultivate. This is called putting pressure on them! In short, maximize the pressure, maximize the training, and make them stronger than Lilia's batch of shadow guards, strong enough to kick someone to death."
"..." Dugu remained silent for a moment and thought, Her Majesty is too obsessed with comparison, but he couldn't go against her. He could only nod in agreement.
"Attack!" Iris gave the order, and the colossal army marched forward, crushing everything in its path.
The shadow guards almost completely eliminated the Ruined Land soldiers on the city walls, and the remaining few hundred soldiers gathered in the central square.
The Jade God Tree stood tall in the square, emitting a soft green light that illuminated the area, dispelling the eerie atmosphere.
The vampire soldiers surged forward like a tidal wave, crowding the square with no escape.
At this moment, the vines of the Jade God Tree, buried underground, began to grow frantically, twisting like venomous snakes and entangling the vampire soldiers.
Some vampire soldiers who were unable to evade the vines were quickly engulfed, and in an instant, their bodies turned into desiccated skeletons, falling to the ground.
The vines of the Jade God Tree seemed to be endless. Once caught within them, there was no escape. In a matter of minutes, a hundred vampire soldiers perished under the vines.
The reputation of the Jade God Tree resounded throughout the Ruined Land world, intimidating any living being from daring to provoke its nobility. With just one move, it absorbed the lives of a hundred vampire soldiers, instilling fear in all creatures.
However, it seemed that the tree was not done yet. The vines continued to ravage the entire square.
"Fall back!" Iris immediately commanded upon seeing this, ordering the vampire soldiers to retreat to the rear.
Upon hearing the command, the vampire soldiers quickly fell back behind Iris.
"Your Majesty, with that tree present, we cannot pass through the square," a vampire soldier stepped forward and said.
"Spread the word, fire mages attack that tree with fire magic," Iris said coldly.
Immediately, intense heat spread throughout the square, and countless burning flames danced in the air like blooming fireworks.
The Jade God Tree bathed in the sea of fire, its branches constantly swinging to block one burning flame after another.
"Your Majesty, it appears it is not afraid of the flames..." Before Qizhou could finish his sentence, Beezelbub interrupted, "Everyone can see that it's just using its branches to block the fire. It's not truly immune to flames."
"If it's a fire blockage, the branches of the Biyu God Tree would definitely show signs of damage. The branches it swung were completely helping the Ruined Land soldiers block. Essentially, the Biyu God Tree is not afraid of flames, even if it bathes in a sea of fire, it remains unharmed," Qizhou glanced at Beezelbub and slowly spoke out his discovery.
Iris guessed that this kind of divine tree must have fire resistance. As long as the temperature is high enough, it can definitely destroy these divine trees.
With the fierce attack of the fire mage, there were only a few Ruined Land soldiers left around the Biyu God Tree.
Such dense fire magic, the Biyu God Tree could not perfectly cope with it.
After all the Ruined Land soldiers around the Biyu God Tree fell, Iris ordered the fire mage to stop attacking.
"No one is allowed to approach here next! If that angel from outside the city dares to enter White Stork City, you must immediately take them down," she said.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Qizhou, Beezelbub, Shizhi, and Jinghe all answered in unison.
Iris spread her huge blood wings and flew towards the central square. She knew that she wouldn't be able to land smoothly near the Biyu God Tree.
She wrapped herself in platinum flames and dove towards the ground.
Countless green vines rose from the ground like giant pythons, rushing towards Iris, trying to bind her in mid-air and absorb her.
When the green vines approached Iris within a meter, their branches instantly turned to ashes. Under the burning of the flames, the green vines were as fragile as thin paper and easily turned into nothingness.
Iris landed steadily one foot away from the
Jade Tree.
