Was the show really about to begin?
The answer was — no!
Shi Xiaobai was infuriated. He finally stopped retreating and tolerating. He even cursed out 'tolerating my ass'. He naturally needed to mobilize the Infernal soldiers and use force and slaughter to wipe out the Transcendents and Celestial soldiers that had infiltrated the fourth line of defense. Even if it would lead to a bloodbath, he did not care.
And when that happened, the war would enter its most tragic state. A chaotic war between the three realms would result in countless deaths and injuries. To the people involved, it would be an exhausting and painful slaughter, but to the bystanders, it would be an extremely interesting show.
However, the story did not play out as the shadow in the corner had expected.
When Shi Xiaobai, who was nearly out of his rage, walked out of the palace, his emotions had calmed down. It was as though he could freely control his emotions. His anger had vanished in a breath's time.
Immediately following that, Shi Xiaobai issued an order to the Infernal general. The content of the order left the shadow at a loss of whether to laugh or cry — Defend the fourth line of defense with all your might. Stop all those that attempt to break through. Try your best to capture them alive. Do not take the initiative to attack and just defend.
When the Infernal general heard such an order, he was completely dumbfounded. He did not know how to react.
The shadow in the corner was also dumbfounded for a moment.
Others had already invaded his home, and he was telling him to just defend?
How fucking cowardly was he?
Others were about to destroy his home. At the very least, the courtyard had been smashed, and he was still trying his best to capture them alive?
How fucking stupid was he?
The Infernal general mustered his courage to confirm with Shi Xiaobai that he had not misheard the order, but he received a negative answer from Shi Xiaobai.
Try your best to capture them alive!
Just defend it!
This was Shi Xiaobai's response to the humiliation of the enemy reaching for a yard after taking an inch, to the point where they were about to invade his home.
If not for the Infernal King's supreme status in the Infernal domain and him being revered, Shi Xiaobai would probably have been cursed into a pig's head. He was very likely the most cowardly Infernal King in history, and it was even possible that there would never be another like him.
However, ever since the current Infernal King took office, his decisions and actions had been extremely correct. Furthermore, they were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Unlike the awkward roundtable parliamentary system in the Celestial Territory, the Infernal Territory implemented an autocratic monarchy. Therefore, the soldiers in the Infernal Territory could only obey the Infernal King's decisions. At most, they would complain a little in secret.
Therefore, a situation that the Celestials and Transcendents never expected happened. Even though they were about to invade the Infernal domain's hinterlands, and even though they were being so overbearing, the Infernal domain still did not send their troops to attack. They only stood guard at the final juncture of the fourth line of defense like a cold mountain.
When someone slapped you in the face, you didn't retaliate fiercely. Instead, you covered your face and pretended that nothing had happened. It was hard not to think that this kind of defense was the behavior of a coward.
Therefore, the Infernal King Shi Xiaobai assumed the role of 'the most cowardly Infernal King in all of history' in the mouths of the Transcendents and Celestial soldiers.
They had no way of attacking the Infernal soldiers who were cowards. This was because there were too few flaws in a defense that did not attack. Furthermore, they had to face the threat of another army. It was too risky to forcefully attack the Infernal domain. Therefore, cursing became their last means of attack. Mockery and verbal humiliation towards the Infernal King came one after another in the fourth line of defense.
The Infernal soldiers were so angry that they nearly lost their minds. However, their good military discipline and trust in the Infernal King allowed them to endure the bombardment of mockery.
However, trust in the Infernal King was not eternal. When the grievances accumulated to a certain extent, trust and loyalty would collapse.
And the collapse was only a matter of time.
.....
Infernal domain, Infernal King's bedroom.
"The most cowardly Infernal King in all of history."
The Infernal Queen clicked her tongue and said, "Darling is actually unfazed after hearing this title?"
Shi Xiaobai looked down at the chessboard on the table. Without raising his head, he said, "It doesn't matter."
The Infernal Queen said with a faint smile, "Darling sure is magnanimous. However, I'm somewhat puzzled. Darling's anger back then did not seem to be faked. Why did you calm down the moment you walked out the door and even make such a rational decision?"
"It's because This King can't be angry."
Shi Xiaobai looked up slightly and said, "This King does not know why either, but intuition tells This King that if This King were to continue maintaining his anger, something bad would happen. Furthermore, why should This King be angry? "
The Infernal Queen's eyebrows pricked up slightly and said, "The Celestials and the Transcendents have ignored Darling's tolerance and are going overboard. They are pushing it step by step and are almost at home. Shouldn't Darling be angry?"
Shi Xiaobai nodded and said, "I should be angry. This King is indeed angry, but on second thought, isn't what they are doing precisely to infuriate This King? Then, wouldn't This King's anger be playing into their hands? On the contrary, if This King were to calm down and make the most rational judgment, wouldn't they feel terrible? "
The Infernal Queen said with a faint smile, "A very clever way of thinking, but … that doesn't seem like Darling's style."
Shi Xiaobai looked up and said with a ruminative smile, "It looks like you understand This King very well?"
The Infernal Queen said with a calm smile, "Of course. We are already an old couple, so how can I not understand?"
Shi Xiaobai smiled and did not harp on the topic. Instead, he sighed and said, "It's indeed not like This King's style. According to the predetermined script, This King should fly into a rage and summon the entire army to chase the Celestials and Transcendents out of the Infernal domain. Then, he would fight a beautiful victory, letting those bastards who are going overboard understand that This King is not a cowardly tortoise that can be slaughtered at will."
"To be honest, This King really wants to do that, but this King can't do it."
The Infernal Queen asked, "Why can't this be done?"
Shi Xiaobai said in a deep voice, "Because doing so is equivalent to pouring gasoline on the raging flames of war. If the Infernal domain were to aggressively join the war, there would only be three outcomes. An abject defeat, a pyrrhic victory, or so tragic that they would have to negotiate for peace. Regardless of the outcome, it would be tragic. And if the present situation were to be maintained, it would be completely different. The Celestials and Transcendents would restrain each other, not daring to attack the Infernal domain in full force. And with the Infernal domain sleeping by the side, the Celestials and Transcendents would not dare to attack each other with full force. The three parties would be forced to hold back. Over time, the blades of war would be blunt. The fighting spirit of the soldiers would be ground down, and the number of soldiers that would die in the flames of war would decrease. The bitterness that the three parties would taste from the war might no longer be as bitter. "
When the Infernal Queen heard this, she fell silent for a moment before saying softly, "In the end, Darling still chose to be benevolent."
Shi Xiaobai smiled. "If benevolence can save countless lives, why would This King choose anger and slaughter?"
The Infernal Queen gave Shi Xiaobai a serious glance and said softly, "That afternoon, when you apologized to the families of the three palace maids, Darling should understand one thing. To the citizens of the Infernal domain, sacrificing for the Infernal King is a glorious death. They are willing to die for Darling."
Shi Xiaobai nodded and said, "This King knows, but what This King wants to save is not only the Infernal soldiers. Towards the Celestial and Transcendents soldiers, This King is equally benevolent. This King has always believed that the ones who deserve to die in war are not the soldiers that kill their enemies fiercely, but the culprits that instigated the war. It is the rulers that hide in the back and command thousands of lives to die. The Celestial and Transcendents soldiers are not wrong. They have family and families like the Infernal soldiers. They should not be buried here. This King does not have the means to immediately end the war, but he can try his best to reduce their deaths. "
The Infernal Queen lowered her head slightly and said, "To be able to turn anger into forgiveness and benevolence in such a short period of time, Darling's breadth of mind is truly admirable. But Darling, do not forget two points. First, the sharpening of the blades of war does not mean that the number of deaths will be reduced. This is because a stalemate in a war will only last longer. When that happens, the number of deaths might be even higher than cutting the Gordian knot. Second, how much longer does Darling think the Infernal soldiers can endure? The grievance of only being able to defend will sooner or later turn into complaints against Darling. When that happens, loyalty and trust will no longer exist. Discipline will no longer be maintained so perfectly, and war will break out sooner or later. "
Shi Xiaobai gave the Infernal Queen a deep look and said, "You are indeed very smart. The two points you mentioned are correct, but how could This King not have considered them? Don't worry, This King has already thought of an excellent solution to resolve the two problems. "
"Oh?"
The Infernal Queen pricked up her eyebrows slightly and said in surprise, "What solution?"
Shi Xiaobai grinned and said, "A solution that can quickly end the war and also kill the Celestial King. It can also win back the loyalty of the soldiers. However, it will still need to wait."
The Infernal Queen asked again, "Wait for what?"
Shi Xiaobai said softly, "Wait for This King's reputation to become infamy."
.....
.....
The facts proved that Shi Xiaobai was right. The raging flames of war seemed to have been doused by a torrential downpour due to the Infernal domain's retreat and determination to not counterattack.
The Transcendents were unwilling to join forces with the Celestials to attack the Infernal domain due to their hatred for the Celestials. However, they were afraid that the Infernal domain would reap the benefits. Therefore, they became fearful in the war with the Celestials.
It was the same for the Celestials. They were afraid that the Infernal domain would join forces with the Transcendents because of the Infernal domain's barrier, but they were also afraid that the Infernal domain would watch from the sidelines and strike at the last moment. Therefore, they similarly held back.
As such, the blades of war were blunted. The Infernal domain became an existence that hindered the Celestials and the Transcendents. Furthermore, the Infernal domain, which had such an advantage, was like a cowardly tortoise that only defended and did not attack. This made the Infernal domain even more terrifying. This was because no one knew when a tiger that did not strike out would suddenly pounce on them.
However, the facts proved that the Infernal Queen was right.
The blades of war had been blunted, but it did not mean that the war would come to an end. It only prolonged a war that could have been decided in a few tragic battles.
The war was still ongoing. Soldiers were still dying, but the speed had slowed down.
And as they only defended and did not attack, the battlefield remained at the fourth line of defense. The Infernal domain was like a beast trapped in a cage, unable to take even half a step out.
Despite having a huge advantage, they had no choice but to shrink into a tortoise shell. The citizens of the Infernal domain finally began to grumble. In addition to the Celestial and Transcendent soldiers' incessant taunts, the Infernal soldiers felt suffocated. They wished they could vent their frustrations.
However, the Infernal King repeatedly emphasized and gave the orders. From beginning to end, it was the same — try to capture them alive and just defend.
Hence, gradually, the reputation of 'the most cowardly Infernal King in all of history' not only spread on the battlefield, it also spread throughout the world. It reached the Celestial domain, and even the Infernal domain gradually had such voices.
Shi Xiaobai's derogatory nickname of 'the most cowardly Infernal King in all of history' spread throughout the Three Realms!
It could be said that Shi Xiaobai's reputation was already extremely bad!
And on the tenth day of the war, something that shocked the Three Realms happened!
Two letters were sent to the Transcendent gargantuan and the Celestial domain's Celestial King!
They were letters from the Infernal King!
The letters wrote —
"To the Celestial King and King Leonis:
Why does war need soldiers to fight soldiers? Do you dare to fight king against king? This King only wishes for a life-and-death battle between the three kings, to determine the victor with life and death! If This King were to die in battle, the Infernal domain would surrender! On the contrary, if you are unfortunate enough to die under This King's sword, please withdraw your troops! This King has issued this declaration of war. Do you dare to fight? — The most cowardly Infernal King in all of history! "
.....
(PS: I originally wanted to write about the war, but I saw a few comments saying that the dungeon was dragged out too long. On careful thought, it was indeed dragged out. Hence, I agonized over it for an entire night and finally decided on this version. I'll write about the war in the future. Now, I'll cut to the chase and end the dungeon as soon as possible! Readers who want to watch the war, please forgive me. Of course, I've laid the groundwork for so long, so it's definitely impossible for it to end anticlimactic. Therefore, it will take some time to end the dungeon. Of course, the plot during this period of time will definitely be very interesting because the climax is about to come!)
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