Absolute Choice
chapter-419

Was the show really about to begin?

The answer was—No!

Shi Xiaobai was infuriated. He finally could not give in and tolerate. He even cursed out 'tolerate my ass'. He naturally would activate the Infernal soldiers and use force and death to clean the Transcendent and Celestial soldiers that had entered the fourth line of defense, even if it would cause massive loss of lives and bloodshed.

And when the time came, the war would enter its worst situation. The war between the three domains with countless deaths and injuries would unfold. To the people in question, it would be an exhausting and painful slaughter, but to bystanders, it was an extremely exciting show.

However, the story did not proceed as that shadow in the corner expected.

When the nearly enraged Shi Xiaobai walked out of the palace, his mood had calmed down. It was as though he could freely control his emotions, allowing him to wipe away his wrath clean with a few breaths.

Immediately following that, Shi Xiaobai issued a command to the Infernal generals. The command left the shadow at a loss of whether to laugh or cry—Do your best to defend the fourth line of defense. Stop any attempts of breaking the defense but try your best to capture them alive. Do not take the initiative to attack and just defend well.

When the Infernal general heard the command, he was stunned agape and unsure of how to react.

The shadow in the corner was dumbfounded for a moment.

Others were already fighting in your house, and all you do is defend?

How fucking cowardly are you?

Others are already about to destroy your home. At least your front yard has been smashed, but you are still trying your best to capture them alive?

How fucking foolish are you?

The Infernal general garnered his courage to ask Shi Xiaobai if they had heard the command wrongly. But all they got was Shi Xiaobai's negative response and a emphasized repeat of his orders.

Try your best to capture them alive!

Just defend well!

That was the way Shi Xiaobai reacted when facing the enemy's repeated intrusions and humiliating situation of almost reaching his domain.

If not for the Infernal King's exalted status in the Infernal domain, with him being revered, Shi Xiaobai would probably have been cursed badly. He was likely the most cowardly Infernal King in all of history with no one in the future matching him.

But the present Infernal King had always made the correct decisions and actions, so he was deeply loved by the people. It was different from the awkward situation of the Celestial domain's round-table parliament. The Infernal domain was ruled by a monarchy, so the Infernal King's decisions were obeyed by the Infernal soldiers. At most, they would secretly grumble.

Therefore, a situation which the Celestials and Transcendents never expected in their wildest dreams occurred. Even though they were about to invade the hinterland of the Infernal domain, even though they had been so aggressive in their actions, the Infernal domain never sent its troops in retaliation. It only firmly defended the fourth line of defense like an ice-cold mountain.

When someone slapped you in the face but you did not ruthlessly fight back and instead cover your face as if nothing had happened, such a defense could only be deemed as an action of a coward.

Therefore, Shi Xiaobai's reign as Infernal King made the Transcendent and Celestial soldiers call him 'the most cowardly Infernal King in all of eternity'.

They could not attack the Infernal soldiers that hunkered down like a turtle as a defense that did not attack had too few weak points. Furthermore, they were facing the threat of the other army. It was too risky to invade the Infernal domain, so slandering was their final means of attack. The mockery and humiliation of the Infernal King began to sound in the fourth line of defense.

The Infernal soldiers were so angered that they nearly lost their minds. However, their military discipline and their trust in the Infernal King allowed them to endure the bombardment of the taunts.

However, the trust in the Infernal King was not eternal. When humiliation reached a certain point, 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 eternity."

The Infernal Queen said with a tut, "Can Darling still remain unperturbed after hearing such a title?"

Shi Xiaobai lowered his head as he looked at the board on the table. Without lifting his head, he said, "It doesn't matter."

The Infernal Queen said with a slight smile, "Darling sure is open-minded. However, I'm curious. Back then, Darling's incensed look did not seem like it was faked. Why did you manage to calm down the moment you walked out of the door and made 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 his intuition tells This King that if This King maintains his state of wrath, something bad would happen. Furthermore, why should This King be angry?"

The Infernal Queen's eyebrows pricked up slightly as she said, "The Celestials and Transcendents have ignored Darling's act of tolerance and remained insatiable. They keep pushing the boundaries and have almost reached our homes. Shouldn't Darling feel angry because of that?"

Shi Xiaobai nodded and said, "Of course it's infuriating and This King was indeed infuriated. But on second thought, aren't they trying to deliberately provoke This King? Then why should This King be angered and fall for their plans? In contrast, if This King were to remain calm and make the most rational judgment, wouldn't they feel terrible?"

The Infernal Queen said with a chuckle, "What a clever way of alternate thinking, but...it doesn't seem like it's Darling's style."

Shi Xiaobai looked up and said with a meaningful smile, "It looks like you understand This King rather well?"

The Infernal Queen said with a calm laugh, "Of course. We have already spent so much time as a couple, so how could I not understand you?"

Shi Xiaobai smiled and did not dwell on the topic. Instead, he said with a sigh, "It is indeed not This King's style. According to a written script, This King should be incensed and order the entire army and chase the Celestial and Transcendent armies out of the Infernal domain before winning a beautiful victory. This will let the bastards who remain insatiable know that This King isn't a cowardly turtle that is free for them to carve up."

"To be honest, This King really wants to do that, but This King can't do that."

The Infernal Queen asked, "Why can't you do that?"

Shi Xiaobai said in a deep voice, "Because by doing so, it is equivalent to pouring oil onto the burning flames of war. If the Infernal domain were to join the war with blazing momentum, there can only be three outcomes. A tragic victory, a tragic defeat or to sign a peace agreement after a tragic sequence of events. Regardless of the matter, it would be tragic."

"If the present situation is maintained, it would be completely different. The Celestials and the Transcendents mutually keep each other in check while they do not dare to attack the Infernal domain with full force. And with the Infernal domain sleeping in peace by the side, the Celestials and Transcendents would not dare to fight in an all out battle. The three sides are forced to leave a card up their sleeves. After a long period of time, the blades of war will turn blunt. The morale of the soldiers will be turned dull and the troops that would die in the flames of war will decrease. And the bitter fruits of war the three sides will taste would not be as bitter."

When the Infernal Queen heard this, she fell silent for a moment and said gently, "With all that said, Darling has chosen to be benevolent."

Shi Xiaobai laughed and said, "If being benevolent can save countless lives, why should This King choose anger and killing?"

The Infernal Queen gave Shi Xiaobai a serious look before she whispered, "That afternoon when Darling went to apologize to the family members of the three palace maids, Darling should have understood something. To the Infernal domain's citizens, sacrificing for the Infernal King is a glorious death. They are willing to die for Darling."

Shi Xiaobai nodded and said, "This King knows that. However, This King does not only want to save the Infernal soldiers. This King is similarly benevolent to the Celestial and Transcendent soldiers. This King always believes that the people most detestable in war are not the soldiers that fiercely kill their enemy, but the masterminds behind the war. It's those leaders that hide in the back as they command and send thousands to their deaths. The Celestial and Transcendent soldiers aren't at fault. They have loved ones, family just like the Infernal soldiers. They should not die here. This King has no way to immediately end the war, but he can try his best to decrease their chances of death."

The Infernal Queen lowered her head slightly and said, "Darling's breadth of vision for him to be able to turn anger into benevolence and forgiveness in such a short period of time is something I admire and venerate. However, Darling shouldn't forget two things. Firstly, the dulling of blades of war does not mean that the number of fatalities will decrease because an unending war will only last even longer. When the time comes, the death numbers might end up to be higher than for a quick clash of swords. Secondly, how long does Darling think the Infernal soldiers can tolerate it? Their grievance of only defending will eventually turn into blaming Darling. When loyalty and trust were to disappear, their discipline would no longer be as perfect. War will happen sooner or later."

Shi Xiaobai looked deeply into the Infernal Queen's eyes and said, "You are indeed clever. The two points you raised are correct, but how can This King not have considered them? Don't worry. This King has already thought of a ingenious method to resolve the two problems."

"Oh?"

The Infernal Queen pricked up her eyebrows and exclaimed, "What's your method?"

Shi Xiaobai grinned and said, "A way to quickly end the war and also kill the Celestial King, as well as winning back loyalty. However, there is still a need to wait."

The Infernal Queen asked again, "What are you waiting for?"

Shi Xiaobai replied with a whisper, "When This King's reputation is completely rotten."

...

...

It turned out that Shi Xiaobai was right. The blazing flames of war appeared to be doused with heavy rain because of the Infernal domain's retreat and firm refusal to fight back.

Due to the Transcendents' hatred for the Celestials, they did not wish to ally with the Celestials to attack the Infernal domain. However, they were afraid that the Infernal domain would benefit from their internecine struggle. Therefore, the battle with the Celestial domain also became muted.

The Celestials were in a similar situation. They were afraid the Infernals would ally with the Transcendents because they destroyed the Infernal domain's barrier. They were also afraid that the Infernal domain would watch by the sidelines and suddenly strike at the last moment. They too left several cards up their sleeve.

The blades of war turned dull in such a manner. The Infernal domain became an existence that constrained both the Celestials and Transcendents. And the Infernal domain, which had such an advantageous position, chose to defend like a cowardly turtle. The Infernal domain's lack of attacks made it appear even more terrifying because no one knew when the tiger that had its claws retracted would suddenly pounce.

And it turned out that the Infernal Queen was correct as well.

Although the blades of war had been dulled, it did not mean that the war would come to a halt. It just caused victory that could have been decided after a few rounds of tragic battles to be prolonged.

The war was still ongoing and there were deaths among the troops. It just slowed down.

And due to the pure defense and zero offense system, the battlefield remained at the fourth line of defense. The Infernal domain was like a trapped beast and was unable to take a step out.

Despite having a huge advantage, the Infernals had to be humble and hide in their turtle shell. This gradually caused the Infernal citizens to begin grumbling. In addition, the Celestial and Transcendent troops never ceased their mocking taunts. The Infernal soldiers felt aggrieved and wished that they could crazily vent their anger.

However, the Infernal King repeatedly stressed and ordered once again the same order from beginning to the end—Capture them alive if possible. Just defend.

Therefore, the title of 'the most cowardly Infernal King in all of eternity' was not only spread on the battlefield. It proliferated the mortal realm and to the Celestial domain. Even the Infernal domain slowly had such voices.

Shi Xiaobai's infamous title of 'the most cowardly Infernal King in all of eternity' was spread throughout the three domains!

It could be said that Shi Xiaobai's reputation was completely rotten!

And on the tenth day of the war, a shocking matter that stunned the three domains happened!

Two letters were sent to the Transcendents' giant and the Celestial domain's Celestial King!

It was a letter from the Infernal King!

The letter read—

"To the Celestial King and King Leonis:

Why should wars be fought between soldiers? Do you dare to fight king against king? This King only wishes for a life-and-death battle between the three kings, with life and death determining the outcome! If This King were to die in battle, the Infernal domain will surrender! Conversely, if you were to unfortunately die by This King's sword, please withdraw your troops! This King has penned the challenge. Do the both of you dare to fight? —The most cowardly Infernal King in all of eternity!"

... IChooseDogLeading (我选择狗带) when read in Chinese sounds like I Choose Go Die. It was a meme that resulted from a former member of famous Korean boygroup, EXO, TAO (Huang Zitao). At a concert, there was a part in a rap that where he said "", but due to a mispronunciation, it sounded like he will not easily choose to be led by dogs. This phrase now means 'I'd rather die/I choose death'.