### Chapter 7: Coercion and Compliance (Bonus Update)
==============================
“Clang, clang, clang!”
“Boom, boom, boom!”
……
“What in the world is that noise?”
A group from Thousand Bird City, led by Li Ying Tian and riding a celestial beast, was rushing through the sky above the Chaos Forest when they suddenly heard the faint sound of gongs and drums below—similar to what you’d hear during human celebrations. They exchanged puzzled glances.
“Let’s go check it out,” Li Ying Tian frowned.
“Understood, Sect Leader,” Gongsun Ding quickly maneuvered the celestial crane and glided down from the sky.
As they approached the forest, the sound of gongs and drums grew more pronounced.
Cutting through a light mist, they discovered a procession stretching several miles below them.
The source of the noise was indeed from this very parade.
Li Ying Tian remarked, “How strange! I’ve never heard of the Monster Race doing such things. What are they up to?”
Gongsun Ding suggested, “Should I send a couple of little demons to ask what’s going on?”
“Forget it. They’re just a bunch of insignificant little demons; we shouldn’t waste our time,” Li Ying Tian shook his head.
The celestial crane soared back into the sky, quickly leaving the drum parade behind.
—
White Feather City.
The Great King of the Split Land was waiting in his City Lord’s Mansion for the arrival of guests from Thousand Bird City.
He knew very well why Li Ying Tian had come personally.
It was nothing more than the fact that White Feather City had been unable to find the Cold Moon Witch, and Thousand Bird City was clearly ready to make them accountable.
Sure enough, just as he expected, the sect leader from Thousand Bird City arrived shortly after, and after some casual small talk, Li Ying Tian straightened his face.
Though the Great King felt indignant inwardly, he nonetheless maintained a respectful demeanor.
“Your Excellency, regarding the pursuit of the Cold Moon Witch, we’ve truly made an effort. Unfortunately, this demoness is adept at hiding; no matter how hard we search, we can’t find her trace,” he explained.
Li Ying Tian said, “I understand that White Feather City governs a vast area, and I can appreciate what the king is saying. But the king cannot simply shirk responsibility and brush this aside.”
The Great King replied, “Don’t worry, Your Excellency. From today on, I will personally lead a team to clear out all hiding places in the Chaos Forest. I will ensure your satisfaction.”
Li Ying Tian stood up, pacing around the opulent council chamber of the City Lord’s Mansion.
Everywhere he looked, there were treasures gleaming, enough to blind anyone.
He picked up a night pearl the size of a pigeon egg and tossed it in his hand.
The Great King quickly added, “If you like it, I have a dozen more fine night pearls; I’ll get them for you right away.”
Li Ying Tian remained silent.
“Bang!”
With a sudden surge of power, he crushed the night pearl into powder.
An eerie silence filled the chamber.
The great demons of the twelve caves present immediately stood up, gnashed their teeth, and glared at Li Ying Tian.
Now that was a blatant threat!
The folks from Thousand Bird City weren’t scared of them either.
In no time, the atmosphere in the council chamber had turned tense, swords drawn, as everyone stood at the ready.
The Great King tightly stared at Li Ying Tian’s back but restrained his words. “What are you implying, Your Excellency?”
Li Ying Tian replied coolly, “The agreement between Thousand Bird City and White Feather City may seem like I have the supervisory role, but in truth, it’s an alliance pact signed by Thousand Bird City representing the Seven Great Sects and the Monster Race.
According to the protocol, if White Feather City continues to ignore the reasonable demands of the human race and plays hard to get, the Seven Great Sects can collectively replace your position as the City Lord of White Feather City and appoint a new one.
Surely, the new City Lord would take this matter very seriously. Don’t you think, Your Majesty?”
The Great King’s fingers were digging into his flesh, and the once proud Bull Head was now slowly bowing his head.
On the surface, White Feather City stood independent, but it remained under the control of the human race—a consequence of the defeat of the Monster King in the past and the subsequent annihilation of top-tier demons.
“I understand. I will make sure to satisfy you, Your Excellency.”
Li Ying Tian smiled slightly. “Good, very good.
I want results within ten days.
As for what results those will be, that’s up to you, King.”
Li Ying Tian wasn’t one to dawdle; he was there to apply pressure on White Feather City and had no intention of lingering.
Although there were rumors out there saying the Cold Moon Witch was coerced into appearing at the Heavenly Sword Sect, and the real mastermind was someone else…
Li Ying Tian didn’t care about that.
All he knew was that since the Cold Moon Witch dared to show up, she must have been prepared for scrutiny and pursuit.
As for whether she was guilty or not, they would know the truth once she was caught.
Given that Thousand Bird City had suffered severe losses in both Floating City and Ground City—with casualties in the hundreds—Li Ying Tian had been preoccupied with clean-up efforts ever since returning from Half Moon City.
In these last couple of days, now that things were winding down, he had shifted his focus entirely to capturing the Cold Moon Witch.
After all, that demoness had brazenly fled into the Chaos Forest, which was under White Feather City’s jurisdiction. He had previously sent Gongsun Ding to urge White Feather City to catch her, but nothing had come of it. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have returned to the human realm to stir up trouble again.
Thousand Bird City had an undeniable responsibility in this matter.
That’s why he had come personally—to ramp up the pressure.
It’s not easy to enter the Chaos Forest, an area controlled by the Monster Race, but he had ordered a defense line to be set up at the border between Thousand Bird City and the forest. If anything suspicious popped up, they would strike immediately.
He suspected the Cold Moon Witch wasn’t alone. She might have some support from other great demons.
Otherwise, how could White Feather City search for so long without any results?
However, if the Great King failed to provide any explanation by the deadline, he wouldn’t hesitate to join forces with the other six great sects to replace this incompetent puppet, reinforcing the reputation of the human race.
—
After the departure of Thousand Bird City’s delegation,
the council chamber of White Feather City fell into a suffocating silence.
The great demons glared at the Great King with eyes full of humiliation,
this kind of suffering was becoming unbearable.
“King, I can’t take it anymore!”
The Money Leopard swung his fist in frustration.
“Exactly, King!” cried the Vulture and others in agreement.
The Great King chuckled bitterly, “What can we do if we can’t take it anymore? Are we going to fight them? The Monster King is in their hands; this is the leverage the human race has over us.”
He recalled his recent conversations with Fu Yetian.
“King, Ji Shen does not demand much; on the day Thousand Bird City falls, Floating City shall belong to Ji Shen, and Ground City can be under your command.”
He turned to the Goat-Headed Man standing by his side, “When will Ji Shen’s people arrive?”
The Goat-Headed Man replied, “In nine days.”
That leaves just one day before the deadline set by Li Ying Tian.
Bull Head sneered, “That’s fine! We’ll give Thousand Bird City a surprise then. All our years of endurance won’t go to waste.”
