The Peacock race and the Lycan race. Both among the alien races which had killed more than hundreds of thousands of people in their bids to win territories of their own.
Proof of their savagery had been caught on video.
In one such video, a gigantic peacock monster swooped down on a city full of people. It opened its big wide and like a giant vacuum cleaner, it sucked more than one hundred thousand people into its belly, including children and women.
“Wow, the rich flavor of blood. That’s my belly half-filled, I suppose,” said the peacock with morbid nonchalance in the end.
Then another video clip featuring a Lycan King almost the size of a hill in a rampage, slaughtering almost every human in the city.
“Humans. Nothing but vermin with incredible breeding capabilities,” said the monster coldly.
Rivers of blood flowed around the battered and smoldering city.
But these alien races were too powerful that human warriors could only resort to hurling curses and insults at them over the Internet.
But Chu Xun was different. Here he was, openly sending a message to these alien races.
No one but Chu Xun would dare challenge the alien races now asserting their dominance all around the world. No one but the Devil.
“The Peacock Race and the Lycan Race! Withdraw from our cities now or I’ll be coming for you,” warned Chu Xun again imperiously.
He had given his word to Emperor Ao that he would keep Huaxia safe and he was resolved to keep that promise as part of his endeavors to mentally fortify himself. Chu Xun never once shied away from a fight and he did not intend to start now; doing so would only dishonor his former moniker of the Immortal Emperor of Blood.
Faraway in the Northeast of Huaxia was an ancient settlement, that now remained a shadow of its former glory, called Yuncheng – a city that now laid battered and derelict as if it had just survived a typhoon.
Wild beasts bared their teeth vaingloriously as they padded down the streets. The city was overrun by the Lycans and now became a haven for wild beasts to infest and inhabit.
Deep inside a freshly-constructed hall, a giant wolf the size of a tumulus stared at a monitor with its ruby-red eyes. Its coat of fur gave off a soft emerald-green sheen as it shook itself. The monitor was showing Chu Xun.
Boom!
A jet of green light destroyed the large monitor into bits.
“The Devil. Another puny human,” said the Lycan in human tongue with pure contempt in his voice.
At the same time, inside another lavish hall at the southwestern side of the country was another handsome middle-aged man, smirking at the screen before him.
“Hmph. The Devil. Slay a few Wingeds and that’s enough to make you pompous, eh?” muttered the man dispassionately.
Chu Xun’s message hardly sat well with any of the alien races that emerged. To the Lost Races who had been the most powerful beings of the former epochs, weaklings such as humans were nothing but mere slaves to them.
Inside the hall at the capital, Chu Xun’s message was greeted with rumbling peals of applause.
Major General Chu Xun, the legend of Huaxia.
His open challenge to the alien race, although no one could say if it was folly or hubris, did just enough to rally the nation. A feat that none had been able to achieve before.
Chu Xun beheld the audience with a stoic look on his face, “Finally, I say this to the stout defenders of our Huaxia lands: Never forget why you choose to become a soldier and never forget your mission. The alien races might be powerful. They might be fearless and ferocious. But so are we! If they can take our lands, then let them come! Let them come! But they’ll pay! We’ll make them pay! For every ground they take, they’ll pay with blood!”
“Pay with blood! Well said!” cried the Chief Official, his hands clapping in applause.
Another round of applause blasted like a thunderclap inside the hall with Huaxia soldier clapping his hands vociferously.
Next came the presentation ceremony. The Chief Official personally handed Jiang Tao and his men their silver-wrought medals, each engraved with the words “Defender of Huaxia”.
“These are specially produced, only for true soldiers like you all,” said the Chief Official.
It was an award given for the first time on Huaxia soil and a great recognition and honor for any soldier who received it.
Suddenly, every soldier everywhere – from those who were present in the hall down to those watching the broadcast from their devices – sprang to their feet, screaming their lungs off with outpouring excitement, each swearing they would fight to prove themselves worthy of such an award too.
Chu Xun took in the huge frenzy, musing how the Chief Official had better talent in inspiring people than he did.
With only a line of new medals, the Chief Official had heartened the hearts and minds of every fighting man with such fiery fervor that they wanted to fight the alien races immediately.
So ended the brief but fantastic ceremony.
Chu Xun wanted to leave but the Chief Official stopped him.
“Anything else?” he asked.
The Chief Official gave Zhong Ren a knowing look.
“That’s the thing, Chu Xun,” said Zhong Ren, “The bullets you gave Jiang Tao could kill these things. What did you do to them? If we can issue such ammunition to every soldier in the country, we’ll be saving the lives of these men we are throwing into harm’s way.”
“I see, so that’s what it is,” thought Chu Xun.
“Well, to be frank, all I did was imbuing the bullets with my Internal Breath,” revealed Chu Xun.
“Is there any way we can mass-produce such bullets?” the Chief Official’s eyes gleamed expectantly.
Chu Xun shook his head furiously. “Are you trying to kill me? Mass-produce these things? You’re asking me to not go anywhere and not do anything else!”
Then, an idea came to him. He did not have to do much after all. All he had to do was just conjure up an enchantment.
“You’ve found a way, have you?” said the Chief Official, noticing Chu Xun’s reaction.
“I might,” said Chu Xun before putting up a troubled expression, “But I’m in dire need of money. The Fire Dragon Palace’s just only been rebuilt and we’re out of funds…”
The Chief Official and Zhong Ren rolled their eyes in exasperation. Anyone could claim to be poor but not the Devil. Certainly not the one man in the world who had spent all his active years plundering and marauding!
Chu Xun was just trying to extort some money off them!
“All right, you guys talk about it. I gotta go think of some way to get some money. All that debt to rebuild the Palace is still not settled yet,” said Chu Xun, pivoting around to leave.
The edges of the Chief Official’s and Zhong Ren’s lips twitched uncontrollably. “Blackmail! Blatant blackmail! As if any moron would dare knock on the doors of the Devil to demand payment!”
“Stop right there, you rascal,” scowled the Chief Official at last.
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Chu Xun halted and turned back around. With a solemn look, he said to them, “The law of the land dictates that wages should be paid on time. Well, you guys set the rules and I’m only following them. I need to be a law-abiding citizen.”
The Chief Official glared hard at Chu Xun. It was all he could do to hold himself back from giving Chu Xun a swing. “OUTRAGEOUS! LAW OF THE LAND!? A LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN?! Give me a break! Since when is he even one!?”
“All right, I give up! I’ll foot the bill for the reconstruction of your stronghold!” said the Chief Official at last.
“That’s hardly enough,” said Chu Xun.
“What do you mean?” asked the Chief Official.
“I did not manage to get back in time to stop the Wingeds from running off with my stores of magical herbs and shrubs that were crucial to the training and consumption of my people. Without them, my people will not be able to keep up their powers. No, this cannot go on. I need to think of ways to replenish our supplies, no matter what grades they are.”
The Chief Official stood there, rooted to the spot like a tree as he remained speechless as his face turned sour.
“Wait a minute. The Fire Dragon Palace houses only a few hundred men. What do you need so many supplies for?! To eat them like rice?!”
“Well, it’s not only the Palace. I need to support the Rock Sect, the Tianwu Sect, Qianlong Mountain, and so forth. All these require lots and lots of supplies, see?” said Chu Xun, counting them off his fingers before he complained, “I have to take care of the wellbeing of all my people, then I have to keep the nation safe. That’s all hard work, my good man.”
The Chief Official and Zhong Ren stared at each other. “Wait. Chu Xun must know something!”
“Wait a second. You know! Am I right!?” gasped the Chief Official.
“What are you talking about?” said Chu Xun, putting up an incredulous look.
But the Chief Official, being accustomed to Chu Xun’s devious ways, could not have been any surer: Chu Xun must have found out about it!
“All right, all right. I admit the government had been busy amassing supplies and resources,” relented the Chief Official.
“Ah?!” Chu Xun looked surprised, “Is that so?!”
“Quit pretending,” scowled the Chief Official in jest, “You knew all about it.”
Chu Xun almost giggled out loud. He had only just recently found out about it. He had heard about a mysterious army detachment called the Iron Dragon Guard when he had just been made Major General. It was originally meant to be assigned under him, although circumstances had prevented it from happening.
So far, no one had yet seen the Iron Dragon Guard before. Having just made Major General, the government could do better than to entrust its most powerful fighting force into an inexperienced rascal like him. Giving him charge of the Iron Dragon Guard could only mean that the government must now have another more powerful detachment in hiding.
Even so, the realization of this fact did not make him wonder how powerful the government of Huaxia actually was. Rather, this was a testament to how much sway Emperor Ao held over the government.
As the heir to the line of the Ancestral Dragon destined to keep Huaxia for hundreds of millions of years, the crafty Emperor Ao must have kept another trick up his sleeve for the sake of the nation.
That would mean that the government must be in possession of another fighting force heretofore unknown. A force more powerful and deadlier than the Iron Dragon Guard.
“The Iron Dragon Guard,” said Chu Xun suddenly, fixing the Chief Official in a hard stare.
The top leader of the Huaxia government could not resist a slight change in his countenance before he regained his composure.
“I knew it. I knew you’d find out sooner or later,” he grinned.
“Then… What about the Silver Dragon Guard… Or the Gold Dragon Guard?”
The smile on the Chief Official’s face froze.
That almost made Chu Xun burst out laughing. “So it’s true!” His mentioning of the Gold and Silver Dragon Guards was but a test, and the Chief Official’s reaction had told him that these two detachments really did exist.
Zhong Ren did not understand a word. Dubiously, he peered at them. “What are they talking about?! What Silver Dragon Guard?! What Golden Dragon Guard?!” He had only heard about the Iron Dragon Guard before!
“Let’s go. I’ll tell you about it later,” said the Chief Official gravely.
“Don’t worry about it,” said Chu Xun, “I’ve just conjured an enchantment to keep our voices in here.”
“If you would please, Grand Advisor,” said the Chief Official solemnly, “There is something I need to speak to Chu Xun about.”
That surprised Zhong Ren before he quickly nodded and stepped outside.
As soon as Zhong Ren was outside, the Chief Official pressed, “Wait, did the Dragon Deity tell you this?”
Knowing the Dragon Deity the Chief Official spoke of to be Emperor Ao, Chu Xun shook his head. “I guessed it myself. As for the existence of the Silver and Golden Dragon Guards, I wasn’t sure until your reactions confirmed it for me. I’d say my guess is spot-on.”
The Chief Official groaned. He had fallen for Chu Xun’s trick!
“Well, you know what? Knowing your friendship with the Dragon Deity, I did not expect to keep this from you for long.”
Chu Xun pouted at that, musing quietly instead, “Heaven knows how long I would be kept from this secret if I did not pry it from you.”
“But don’t blame me. It’s the Dragon Deity who cautioned me against telling you,” said the Chief Official.
“Ao?!” gasped Chu Xun, “Why is that old thing keeping this a secret from me?!”
The Chief Official nearly jumped. Chu Xun might be the only person in the whole wide world who could call Emperor Ao “that old thing” while not suffering any consequences for it.
“I’m afraid I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head.
“Tell me about these three Dragon Guards.”
“I don’t know much either. The government is given charge of the Iron Dragon Guard and only the Dragon Deity himself knows where the Silver and Golden Dragon Guards are garrisoned at presently.”
“Talk about a pair of well-hidden aces…” breathed Chu Xun, seething with annoyance. He had been fighting with blood, sweat, and tears outside and yet Emperor Ao had deemed it necessary to keep these two powerful fighting forces a secret from him.
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“But why wasn’t even the Iron Dragon Guard mobilized since the anomalies began!?” asked Chu Xun. With such a powerful force at their fingertips, the government should have shown it earlier to the world so that they could function as a deterrent.
“The Iron Dragon Guard is only made up of low-tiered Human Kings. The Dragon Deity had forbidden them from any action, using them instead within the shadows as a support group to forage supplies and resources for the Silver and Golden Dragon Guards,” answered the Chief Official.
“I see.” Chu Xun thought quietly, his eyes gleaming with comprehension. “I gotta go. We’ll speak later.”
“Where are you off to? What about that bullet thing we spoke about earlier?”
“We’ll talk about that later,” said Chu Xun, vanishing instantly with only a voice in his wake, “It’s time I have a good chat with Ao.”