Son-in-law Heaven Emperor Xiao Yi

Sword Dynasty, Imperial Capital.

This Sword Dynasty, positioned north to south against the Great Qian Dynasty, was also situated along the eastern coast of the Beast Emperor Sea.

In terms of overall national strength, it was somewhat inferior to the Great Qian Dynasty, but the Sword Dynasty had a martial culture, where survival of the fittest and the rule of the strong dominated, resulting in a greater number of powerful individuals than in the Great Qian Dynasty.

At this moment...

Within the resplendent imperial palace.

A bird descended from the sky, landing atop the battlements of the palace.

"Hmm?"

A guard glanced at the color of the metal ring around the bird's ankle, his face suddenly changing color — it was a striking red, "This is terrible!"

He hurriedly carried the bird towards the Golden Throne Hall.

Inside the Golden Throne Hall.

The Sword Emperor, draped in a robe adorned with a five-clawed golden dragon, sat upright on the dragon throne, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, his dignified presence serene as he spoke softly, "Xiao Yi mentioned before that he wished to wipe out the Great Qian Dynasty in one fell swoop and planned to breed twenty million more God Devouring Ants, but I wonder how that endeavor is progressing!"

"Your Majesty can rest assured, with the God Devouring Ants under the ninth prince's command, as long as the Great Qian Dynasty doesn't bring out a Nirvana Realm expert, surely no one will be able to stop them!"

"We can just wait for the ninth prince to reach the Imperial Capital of the Great Qian Dynasty before we take action, it won't be too late then!"

The courtiers all said in unison.

Relaxation and comfort were evident on each minister's face.

If it were another time...

The Sword Dynasty sending a large army to invade the Great Qian Dynasty would have these people scurrying around in a frantic mess, not leisurely chatting here.

All this was thanks to the achievements of the ninth prince.

With control over the God Devouring Ant army, the Sword Dynasty had dared to launch an assault on the Great Qian Dynasty with merely over three hundred thousand soldiers. Otherwise, such a war would have required at least a million-strong army.

With a million troops, the daily consumption of food and forage would be a colossal issue.

"Xiao Yi indeed did well, it's only that he's too young, I just hope nothing goes wrong!" As the Sword Emperor listened to the courtiers praise the ninth prince, a proud smile appeared on his face, yet he maintained a basic humility in his words.

Just then.

"Report! Urgent news from the south, a crimson express missive..." A piercing voice rang through the Golden Throne Hall.

The comfortable atmosphere abruptly ceased.

The Sword Emperor narrowed his eyes, "Enter!"

Bang!

Bang!

The guard rushed in with urgency, tumbling and scrambling, both hands carrying the bird, his entire body drenched in cold sweat, "Your... Your... Your Majesty, an urgent crimson missive has arrived from the south..."

"A crimson express missive? That's a security level only used in the event of a great disaster..."

"What exactly happened? Since the founding of our Sword Dynasty, this is only the third time a crimson express missive has been issued, isn't it?"

The ministers wore puzzled expressions.

The old eunuch standing beside the Sword Emperor tremblingly stepped forward, taking the secret report from the bird's leg and slowly unfolded it. As he read the contents, his stooped body suddenly tensed, his eyes bulged, and his pupils contracted violently.

The eunuch looked towards the Sword Emperor with a face full of panic, his voice dry and grating, "Your... Your Majesty... something has happened to the ninth prince!"

A buzz!

A single explosive sound rang in the heads of everyone in the Golden Throne Hall, turning their minds blank.

Gurgle!

Nervous gazes were fixed on the old eunuch.

The Sword Emperor gripped the armrest tightly, leaning slightly forward, his voice lowered, "Read it!"

With clenched teeth, the old eunuch, in a shrill voice indistinguishable between male and female, read, "The God Devouring Ant army has been annihilated, no one from the attacking army on the Great Qian Dynasty survived, the Southern Ice City has been breached by Xiao Yi leading a few hundred elites, city lord Zhuge Yin fell in battle. The ninth prince..."

"What's wrong with the Ninth Prince?"

"Eunuch Wangyan, speak up!"

The crowd looked at Eunuch Wangyan with tense anticipation.

His lips trembling, he clenched his teeth and said, "The Ninth Prince fell on the battlefield... The killer... Great Qian Dynasty, Xiao Yi!"

Boom!

The throne under the Sword Emperor exploded into pieces, as a terrifying pressure enveloped the entire imperial palace.

Bang bang bang!

Several maids and eunuchs of weaker cultivation were crushed by the terrifying pressure, kneeling on the ground. Inside the Golden Throne Hall, the officials knelt in fear and trepidation.

The Assistant Minister of Rites stepped forward, his voice firm, "Your Majesty, please accept our condolences..."

"Condolences? My little Ninth is dead, and you ask me to accept condolences?"

The Sword Emperor looked at him coldly, then swept his gaze to Eunuch Wangyan and ordered icily, "Guards, take the Assistant Minister of Rites away, execute his entire family, and bury them with my little Ninth!"

"Your Majesty, spare my life, please spare my life..." The Assistant Minister of Rites begged desperately, his face filled with despair.

The Sword Emperor didn't even give him a glance, and with a fierce wave of his hand, the generals of the hall took him away.

All the court officials kept their heads down, silent, fearing to provoke the Sword Emperor's wrath.

The Sword Emperor's face was gloomy as a furious dragon, and he bellowed, "Why are you all mute? My little Ninth is dead, my General is slain, my borders breached... And now the murderer roams free on my land, what should be done?"

"Your Majesty, I volunteer to lead an expedition to hunt down Xiao Yi!" General Wang Yanzhao with long tresses across his chest stepped forward to volunteer.

Beside Wang Yanzhao, Hong Ye, the foremost General, said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead ten thousand of my personal troops to hunt down the villain Xiao Yi!"

"I volunteer for battle!"

One after another, the warriors stepped forward.

The Sword Emperor's face eased slightly, and with narrowed eyes, he said, "In that case... General Hong, General Wang, you two are tasked with leading thirty thousand men each from the Flying Wolf Army and the Flying Tiger Army. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find Xiao Yi for me. I want him alive, or bring me his corpse; I will have his body torn into ten thousand pieces to avenge my little Ninth!"

"Rest assured, Your Majesty!"

"We will not disappoint Your Majesty!"

Wang Yanzhao and Hong Ye stood side by side, bowing to the Sword Emperor.

The Sword Emperor nodded, but still feeling uneasy, he ordered coldly, "Issue a command to all cities, if any strangers are found, they must be reported immediately. Anyone hiding or sheltering them will be charged with treason."

Fang Xuankong, the leading civil servant and current Chancellor, stepped forward, saying gravely, "Your Majesty, our Sword Dynasty spans vast territories, and Xiao Yi has merely a few hundred people. They have already passed the Southern Ice City; if they were to scatter and hide, it might be difficult for our generals to locate them!"

"The Chancellor's words hold truth!"

"Searching for a mere few hundred people in a vast empire is like searching for a needle in a haystack!"

The Sword Emperor nodded slightly; he greatly relied on Fang Xuankong, an old minister, and asked gravely, "Chancellor Fang, you must already have a strategy in mind, don't you?"

"Indeed, I have a plan!" Fang Xuankong said.

The Sword Emperor urged, "Speak quickly!"

Fang Xuankong said gravely, "Your Majesty may issue a bounty. Anyone able to provide information on the whereabouts of Xiao Yi will be handsomely rewarded upon verification. Should someone manage to slay or even capture Xiao Yi alive, they will be granted a high-ranking official position and other rewards..."

"What an excellent idea!"

"With this, everyone will join in the search for Xiao Yi's trail..."

"He will have nowhere to hide..."

"Good, let's proceed as Chancellor Fang suggests!"

Finding the plan to be excellent, the Sword Emperor clapped the armrest and declared loudly, "Whoever provides information on Xiao Yi's whereabouts, once verified, will be rewarded one hundred thousand silver taels. Should anyone slay or even capture Xiao Yi alive, they will become a first-class duke of our Sword Dynasty, rewarded with one hundred billion silver taels, a seventh-grade martial technique manual, and a seventh-grade divine weapon..."

Boom!

Inside the Golden Throne Hall, all the officials were shocked.

They could already foresee that with the issuing of this bounty, the entire Sword Dynasty, and perhaps even the neighboring nations, would be plunged into complete madness...