### Chapter 5: The Five Kills Edict
==============================
Honestly, for the well-armed White Feather City, human players were as useful as a chocolate teapot.
Under the command of the Great King of the Split Land, there were twelve direct cave mansions, each crawling with smaller ones. Gathering around twenty thousand soldiers in just a few days? Piece of cake!
Even though the average level of human players was higher than that of the little demons, ever since they entered the city, their mixed and noisy teams had done nothing to impress White Feather City.
Barely tolerating them as part of White Feather City was only thanks to the system meddling with the NPCs’ brains.
Usually, these humans, who had even worse discipline than little demons, wouldn’t even get a meeting with the Great King, who’d treat them like walking snacks, dragging them into the camp for a meal.
Eating humans wasn’t anything special for the monster race! It was just like humans munching on animals to get their protein fix—no guilt attached.
So, these human warriors were initially meant to be expendable. Even if they just wasted a few enemy arrows, that’d be fine!
Li Hanbo figured he had hit the jackpot, but little did he know, the lion demon was just waiting for him to step on a landmine.
“Li San, you truly haven’t let this king down,” the lion demon nodded in satisfaction upon seeing the flames blazing ahead.
As the Heavenly Sword Sect Guild was ambushed by the Extermination of Immortals Guild, revealing signs of defeat with players bolting left and right, the lion demon immediately marched his forces forward.
Upon spotting White Feather City’s regular army, the Extermination of Immortals Guild rang the retreat bell like it was a dinner bell.
However, the retreating Heavenly Sword Sect players were blocked by the lion demon’s minions, including a handful trying to sneak away.
A few players angrily shouted, “Trash NPC! Get the heck out of the way, I don’t want to stay in this crummy guild anymore!”
“Crack!”
Several monster race axe-wielders darted forward and swiftly lopped off those players’ heads, spraying bl**d on the remaining players like confetti.
The headless bodies were kicked aside by the axe-wielders, transforming into wisps of green smoke that drifted away, leaving everyone stunned.
Breathlessly sprinting back, Li Hanbo exclaimed, “Your Highness, we’re one of your own, we’re one of the good guys!”
The lion demon sneered, “White Feather City’s rule: Soldiers who retreat in failure will be executed without mercy!”
Li Hanbo was completely dumbfounded, “Wait, we had no idea about this rule!”
“Well, do you know now?” The lion demon glared coldly at him, completely dropping the friendly vibe he had during their feasting the previous day.
Li Hanbo broke out in a cold sweat, realizing that the true fool was himself for underestimating others.
These cave kings were all at least a couple hundred years old; they’ve probably consumed more salt than Li Hanbo has rice!
They survived this long not just using brute strength, but brains too. Anyone who could hold their own in the Chaos Forest was surely no fool!
In other words, the lion demon had purposely set him up for a d*ath trip, while also flexing some military muscle.
“White Feather City’s rule, I’ll say it again so you all hear me loud and clear!
Retreating unauthorized? k*ll!
Abandoning the battlefield? k*ll!
Disobeying orders? k*ll!
Acting above your station? k*ll!
Failing? k*ll!
This is the Five Kills Edict of White Feather City!”
The lion demon’s voice echoed throughout the forest like the ringing of an ancient gong, leaving not just the Heavenly Sword Sect but all players utterly dumbfounded.
For some inexplicable reason, the players’ previous perception of NPC superiority shattered at that moment, as if someone dropped them onto the ground and stomped on them repeatedly.
Originally enjoying the show of Li Hanbo’s antics, players gasped as they witnessed him getting roasted. After all, who wouldn’t want a laugh at someone else’s expense, especially if that person snagged their chance?
In their eyes, the lion demon was just another mundane NPC—a tool! The real control of the war would surely be in the players’ hands, and NPCs could just sit in the back.
The scene where Li Hanbo bribed the lion demon only solidified this belief.
Yet suddenly, the lion demon’s loud slap across the face seemed to declare that in the Chaos Forest, only strength determined your right to speak up!
Moreover, their intellect far exceeded what players had anticipated; hundreds of years of accumulated wits and cunning would easily wipe the floor with players.
At that moment, the lion demon’s gaze was heavy as lead, making every Heavenly Sword Sect player feel like they were about to lose their heads at any second.
Li Hanbo steadied himself, discarding the previous bravado of the so-called top player, and replacing it with the humble face he wore when meeting high-level disciples in the Small Thousand World.
“It’s all my fault; please spare the others, Your Highness.”
The lion demon replied, “Fine. I heard you human warriors from another realm possess a peculiar method of ‘d*ath evasion’, but it gets weaker and weaker until you’re just a regular human.
Considering this is your first offense, I shall spare you this time.
Next time you treat battle like a game, I’ll chop off your limbs and stuff you into a jar to suffer before you evade d*ath.”
Li Hanbo found himself kneeling involuntarily.
Long after the lion demon led his large troop past the Heavenly Sword Sect, he couldn’t stop trembling.
If the lion demon was that terrifying, what kind of horrific existence was the Great King of the Split Land lurking above the twelve cave mansions?
Not just Li Hanbo, but the other players in White Feather City, along with those watching the whole spectacle in the live streaming room, all felt a chill creeping up their spines.
Not a single one of these NPCs was a pushover.
From the breathtaking debut of the Cold Moon Witch, to Fu Yetian of the Ji Shen, and now to the Great King of the Split Land, each left a deep impression on the players.
In contrast, players seemed like total simpletons, thinking they could navigate the game on their own, unaware that in the eyes of NPCs, they probably resembled clowns!
In the ensuing battle, it was like the lion demon was giving players a demonstration.
The two thousand orderly soldiers of White Feather City, clad in glimmering armor, crushed the forward posts of Cold Wind City in the blink of an eye.
The Extermination of Immortals Guild was obliterated.
The Cold Wind City defenders retreated back to their second defensive line.
After that, only the main city of Cold Wind City remained.
At this moment, both the forums and the live streaming room’s sentiments had completely shifted in favor of White Feather City, as players were suddenly swooned by its iron-fisted style.
Meanwhile, the few players still supporting Cold Wind City broke out in a cold sweat.
Staring at White Feather City’s impressive display, the defenders must have realized that opposing it could only lead to suffering a greater defeat.
What to do?
Was it simply a matter of watching this budding red seedling be squashed by the old evil forces in its cradle?
No…
…
P.S.: Let this chapter accompany the big shots for lunch.
