With the efforts of all kinds of people pushing things along, time flew by. The Imperial Capital remained peaceful and tranquil, like the calm before a storm. Half a year passed.
A thunderous shock came from the distant Far East, where a dazzling new military star was slowly rising. After Zichuan Xiu, Di Lin achieved the second great victory in the war against the Demon Race. In the Sixth Hengchuan Battle, he crushed the invading regular Demon Race forces, killing more than seventy thousand and capturing nearly fifty thousand. It was humanity's greatest victory since the war with the Demon Race began. Yet the most shocking part was not the impressive results, but Di Lin's brutality: he ordered every captured prisoner executed, leaving no survivors.
When Luo Bo, chief of staff of the Far East Army, heard the news, he was horrified and raced over on horseback to stop it. By the time he arrived, Di Lin was receiving him with the utmost respect while secretly ordering the last five thousand prisoners of war be beheaded. By the time Luo Bo realized what was happening, corpses already covered the ground. Seeing that mountain of bodies and sea of blood, Luo Bo closed his eyes in agony and accused Di Lin, "You Asura—you're going to destroy with your own hands the foundation that seven generations of the Family spent nearly two hundred years building in the Far East!" (This was how Di Lin earned the historical title of Asura King.)
Di Lin answered sternly, "This subordinate is creating a foundation for the Family that will last a thousand years!"
When the news reached the Imperial Capital, both the court and the public were shocked. But Di Lin had won a great victory and was a meritorious officer, as well as Yang Minghua's trusted confidant. Yang Minghua's power was at its peak then, so people merely cursed Di Lin in private. No one formally proposed his impeachment or condemnation. Still, private discussion never ceased. Even Yang Minghua himself quietly complained to his confidants, "Di Lin went too far."
He complained too soon. In truth, this was only the beginning. After the battle, Di Lin did not even wait to rest and reorganize. He immediately led two hundred thousand Zichuan Far East Army soldiers in pursuit, charging straight toward Demon God's Fortress. This shattered the long-standing Far East strategic pattern in which the Demon Race attacked and humanity defended. The unprepared Demon Race border troops were caught completely off guard and retreated in panic. Di Lin pursued without mercy.
Along the way, whenever any nonhuman village, town, or city dared offer even the slightest resistance, he immediately ordered it massacred. Young and old, men and women, all were slaughtered, after which the entire city was set ablaze. Once the army had passed, nothing remained behind it but blue skies and scorched earth.
Only races friendly to humanity could beg this commander for their lives—but to survive, they had to surrender their property, provide provisions, and even send their able-bodied young men to join Di Lin's army. With an iron hand and harsh military discipline, Di Lin crushed those unruly Beastmen, Werewolves, Elf-monsters, Serpentfolk... until none dared breathe too loudly, terrified that Di Lin's suspicious gaze might fall upon them.
Di Lin's harsh punishments and iron-handed oppression were not reserved for other races alone. Soldiers of the Zichuan Family suffered just as bitterly: more than a thousand cavalrymen who retreated upon encountering the enemy were executed before the entire army; over forty soldiers who arrived late for morning assembly were dragged by horses for a full five kilometers; a sentry caught sleeping at his post was sentenced to fifty lashes—in fact, he had already died after twenty, but the officer enforcing the punishment did not dare disobey orders and obediently continued to fifty. It truly was a case of "whipping a corpse."
Thus, under Di Lin's command, no one dared disobey orders, neglect their duties, or hesitate to advance. Whenever they encountered the enemy, even the immensely powerful Armored Beasts, Di Lin's troops dared hurl themselves fiercely into battle. With spears, sabers, swords, bows and arrows... even stones, bare hands, and teeth, they fought without daring to retreat. The Demon Race cried out in alarm, "Di Lin's troops are madmen!"
His name thus became synonymous with nightmares and invincibility throughout the Demon Race-controlled regions of the Far East. After he bathed the four Demon Race cities of Granke, Kaz, Henglan, and KS Laiqi in blood, no city dared defy him again. Wherever the army arrived, Demon Race cities opened their gates and knelt to welcome them. Their garrisons either fled in panic or laid down their weapons and surrendered...
As Di Lin wiped out small detachments of regular Demon Race troops along the way, he also drew in surrendering members of other races like the sea accepting all rivers. His forces steadily grew, and by the time he advanced upon Gemara, the Demon Race's second-largest city, his army had reached five hundred thousand strong! Since the war began, humanity had never launched such a fierce offensive or pushed so deeply into enemy territory.
At Gemara, he met the first fierce resistance since the war began. Yun Qianxue, a young renowned Demon Race general of royal blood, commanded two hundred thousand troops in Gemara, relying on its solid defensive fortifications as she waited in full battle readiness...
At this time, while Di Lin was establishing unparalleled military glory, Zichuan Xiu, one of the Three Heroes of Zichuan alongside him, was diligently working away in an office of the Administration Department...
After his beautiful new female secretary walked out of the office, Deputy Director Zichuan Xiu raised a sign. "38, 22, 37. I'm betting one hundred."
Roger raised a sign. "38, 21, 38. I'm betting one hundred too!"
Changchuan raised his sign. "37, 22, 38. One hundred. But I think your estimate of her bust may be wrong. Based on my many years of experience, she may very well be wearing padding—ask her clearly in a moment, Shirakawa!"
Roger said, "Right, right—and her butt too. It's sagging a little. I think my lord's estimate was too conservative."
Zichuan Xiu said, "Shirakawa, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and go ask her!"
Shirakawa protested, "What excuse am I supposed to use to ask someone for her measurements?"
"Oh, that's easy—just say it's for the census and we need to fill in the information."
Shirakawa rolled her eyes at the bunch of perverts. She went out, then came back and announced, "38, 22, 37!"
Zichuan Xiu cheered. "I won! Hand over the money!"
Changchuan reluctantly took out his money. "It makes no sense. How could I have misjudged her?"
Roger said, "Exactly—how boring. What shall we bet on next, my lord?"
Zichuan Xiu counted the bills with great satisfaction. "Money smells so good—how about we bet on whether she's a virgin? I say she isn't. One hundred!"
Before you continue