Ye Han's frenzied actions plunged the entire continent into panic. Everyone knew this was Ye Han's revenge, a retaliation against the entire continent. There were no voices cursing Ye Han, only mockery and scorn towards those families and powers. Their incompetence led to Ye Han's revenge, their greed fueled his hatred for the continent.
Ye Han transported everyone back to the Doomsday Prison. It was his weapon for revenge against the entire continent, his tool. The tragedy that unfolded over the ruins of Mya City soon reached the Imperial City of the Frostwind Empire.
In the royal hall of Fengyue City, the capital of the Frostwind Empire, Emperor Cranford was in a rage, berating his ministers. The death of a hundred thousand soldiers, the disappearance of five thousand guards, the loss of ten saintly warriors, and still no clue about Ye Han's whereabouts was a disgrace for Frostwind, one of the three great empires.
"A bunch of useless fools! Hundreds of thousands of you, and yet you couldn't capture a mere ninth rank individual. What use are you?" Cranford slammed the urgent report on the ground, his face filled with anger.
"Your Majesty, it's not that our imperial forces are incompetent, but that man Ye Han possesses a very unique method of escape. He moves without a trace, and even saintly warriors can't contain him. Moreover, it's said he has powerful sword skills," a minister stood in the middle of the hall, explaining.
"And what about the disappearance of those ten saintly warriors and five thousand guards? Don't tell me his sword skills can instantly kill ten saintly warriors."
The loss of ten saintly warriors was half the strength of an empire. It took immense effort and time to cultivate ten saintly warriors for the empire. Since its establishment, the Frostwind Empire had never had more than thirty saintly warriors, and losing ten in one go was enough to enrage Cranford.
"I give you three days to think of a way to capture him. I don't want to see any more of my imperial cities destroyed or large-scale massacres," Cranford said before angrily leaving the hall, leaving behind a group of ministers with furrowed brows.
"Father, why are you so angry?" Before she appeared, a pleasant voice came, accompanied by the crisp sound of bells with each step, approaching Cranford's study.
Moments later, a slender and graceful young girl in a white dress embroidered with exotic flowers appeared before Cranford. The jingling of bells at her waist brought an immense sense of joy and an aura of innocence and purity. She was Bernice, the thirteenth daughter of Emperor Cranford of the Frostwind Empire.
At seventeen, Bernice already had the potential to be a stunning beauty, lacking only that captivating charm that would make men's hearts flutter at a glance. The reason was her aura, which contrasted sharply with her appearance. It was one of cold pride.
Unlike Ye Han's arrogance, which stemmed from pride in his bloodline and self, Bernice's haughtiness came from her status and beauty. Above all others in status, surpassing all women in beauty, Bernice stood above everyone, proudly and aloof.
Seeing his thirteenth daughter, all the anger and frustration Cranford felt from Ye Han dissipated. Among his many children, she was the one he cared for the most. An emperor never cares about kinship, only about whether you are of use to the empire.
Bernice's cultivation talent might not be the best among her siblings, but her beauty was incomparable. The current development of the Frostwind Empire no longer relied solely on aggression for growth but required the presence of strong individuals. A daughter as beautiful as her could attract more powerful individuals and promising youths to serve the empire.
"It's all because of that Ye Han. Imagine, one of the three great empires of the continent, unable to handle a mere ninth-rank individual, losing an entire army of a hundred thousand men, and even ten saintly warriors vanished without a trace," Cranford said calmly, a skill of an emperor to control his emotions and tone, keeping everyone guessing whether he was angry or pleased.
"Father, you shouldn't worry about this matter," Bernice said indifferently.
"Not worry? If we don't kill him, who knows how many more of our cities will be destroyed by his hands," Cranford replied, handing a file about Ye Han to Bernice.
Bernice took the file and quickly scanned it, a flash of insight in her eyes. "Father, I think we need to change our approach."
"Change? Apart from killing him, what else can we do?" Cranford instantly grasped what his daughter was hinting at. Many thoughts flashed through his mind.
"Exactly. As the data shows, he doesn't care about money or power. But as a man, he surely has his own... weaknesses, right?"
"But..." Cranford hesitated, knowing what Bernice was referring to. Beyond money and power, only a woman could attract a man, but Ye Han's actions had made Cranford uncertain.
"There's no 'but'. All his actions revolve around a girl by his side. For her, he mercilessly killed the third prince of the Flame Dragon Empire. For her, he slaughtered the entire Mya City. Doesn't that tell us something?" Bernice continued her analysis.
"If we can recruit him, surely his demonstrated strength and potential are not less than those ten missing saintly warriors."
"You make a good point, but who should we send?" Cranford was convinced by Bernice's argument. Considering all the information, he also felt this was a feasible plan. If successful, the core strength of his empire would increase immeasurably.
"I'll go," Bernice said without hesitation. As a royal, she was acutely aware of her value - a sacrificial piece for the empire. However, she was not content to be just a sacrifice and volunteered to recruit Ye Han. If successful, she could use this achievement to bargain with her father for her own choices.
"This..." Cranford was astonished, never expecting Bernice, who had never shown interest in men, to volunteer for this task.
"Father, rest assured, with my beauty, no normal man would refuse," Bernice seized the moment. This was a rare opportunity that could work greatly in her favor, and she wouldn't let it go easily. In a year, when she turned eighteen, she would face the same fate as her sisters - becoming a sacrificial piece for the empire's development.
"Alright, I will assign three saintly warriors to accompany you," Cranford finally agreed to Bernice's request after careful consideration.
"There's no need, just some guards will suffice."
"That's not acceptable. Your safety must be ensured," Cranford insisted firmly.
"Do you think three saintly warriors will be of any use?" Bernice challenged, shaking the file in her hand.
"This..." Cranford remembered the ten missing saintly warriors and realized even a fool would see the connection to Ye Han.
"Besides, I'm going to recruit, not to show off. Having saintly warriors accompany me will only complicate matters."
"Fine, let a thousand guards accompany you," Cranford changed his mind. The safety of the royal family members was paramount.
The next day, Bernice left the imperial city under the protection of a thousand guards, heading for Mya City. However, among those protecting her, in addition to the empire's thousand guards, there was another person who joined the group. That was Biyule, the son of the Left Chancellor of the Frostwind Empire. Biyule, only twenty-three years old, had reached the initial stage of the saintly rank a year ago, thanks to his exceptional talent and his family's focused cultivation, placing him among the top warriors of the continent.
Biyule had always been fond of Bernice and had been pursuing her, so he wouldn't miss this opportunity to prove himself. Under Emperor Cranford's insistence, Bernice reluctantly agreed to his company.