Sparking the War (Part 1)

Three days ago, the Thirteenth Princess of the Frost Empire, accompanied by Biyule, known as the "Human Staff", left the ruins of Myatt City with a thousand people in a grand procession. When they returned, less than twenty remained. Ye Han also departed from the ruins of Myatt City.

Time passed as Ye Han wandered, and it wasn't until the fifth day that he heard the news of the Dragons' massive attack. Simultaneously, Princess Bernice, along with Biyule, returned to the capital of the Frost Empire.

Instantly, the continent erupted with scornful remarks about the Frost Empire. Emperor Cranford, in the grand hall of the royal palace, was furious. The Left Prime Minister even vowed to use the full power of his family to kill Ye Han and avenge Biyule.

However, the Dragons' aggressive assault forced Emperor Cranford to abandon his plan to kill Ye Han. Within just a few days, three cities were destroyed by magical beasts. Countless villages vanished, and tens of thousands of civilians fell prey to the beasts.

Upon hearing this news, Ye Han pondered for a moment, a sinister smile creeping onto his face. He accelerated to his maximum speed, rushing towards the frontline.

In two days, without a single stop, Ye Han finally reached Alenkelman City, the eastern fortress of the Frost Empire and the main route of the magical beasts' attack. The Dragons, leading countless beasts, advanced westward, eventually being halted by human warriors at Alenkelman City. Both sides stood in a standoff. Daily, a vast number of beasts attacked, and many died, but the losses of the Frost Empire were even greater.

Ye Han entered Alenkelman City through the north gate. He observed the deserted streets, with countless troops patrolling, and all shops closed. The weaker civilians had already left the city under the escort of the Frost Empire's army, and numerous troops were stationed there. Despite the evacuation, many mercenaries still arrived daily, aiming to kill the beasts.

To resist the beast invasion, the three great empires issued decrees, calling upon mercenaries and independent practitioners across the continent to defend. All spoils earned in battle would belong to them, but they were required to obey military orders and not to act recklessly.

Under these conditions, many seized the opportunity to benefit from the chaos. Ye Han walked on the quiet streets, hearing the laughter of mercenaries from the inns. Without military orders, these mercenaries could only wait in the inns.

As Ye Han was walking down the street, suddenly eight powerful auras burst forth from a nearby inn, flying towards the city's core. Ye Han, seeing their direction, knew it was where the beasts were gathering.

Without a word, Ye Han completely concealed his presence and followed from a distance at full speed.

The eight Saint-level powerhouses flew swiftly over the beasts, their powerful auras unrestrained, causing the beasts below to tremble in fear.

"Roar! Humans, do you really think my Dragon Clan fears you?" Ye Han followed closely. Suddenly, a resounding dragon's roar echoed from a thousand meters away in the forest, accompanied by five overwhelming auras. Under the suppression of thirteen powerful human and beast auras, Ye Han's speed significantly decreased, and he was soon left far behind by the eight in the sky.

"Do your Dragon Clan attack our cities without reason?" Ye Han caught up with the eight after half an hour, just in time to hear their conversation with the Dragon Clan.

"Without reason? Hmph, greedy humans, you know what you've done," a thirty-zhang-long dragon, angrily swishing its huge tail, retorted.

Ye Han silently hid under a tree, observing the five enormous dragons in the sky. Three of them were of the fire element, and two of water, all possessing late Saint stage strength, with one even at the peak of the late Saint stage. Ye Han swallowed hard at this sight.

He then turned his attention to the eight human Saint stage warriors - five in the late stage and three at the peak. They wore the same attire as the ten captives Ye Han had taken from the Frost Empire.

"I didn't expect the Frost Empire to be so strong. To deploy five late stage and three peak Saint stage warriors at once," Ye Han mused quietly to himself, careful not to make a sound given the overwhelming strength of both sides.

"Morantus, clarify your words. What do you mean by 'what we've done', we understand?" the eight humans exchanged looks, puzzled by the Red Dragon's insinuations.

"Hmph! In just a few years, four dragons of our clan have died. If it wasn't for human greed, then who else is to blame?" Morantus, the fire dragon, emanated a powerful aura as his body glowed red.

Upon hearing this, the eight humans' faces changed, and a storm of thoughts raged within them. The death of four dragons was a significant loss for the Dragon Clan, which had limited reproductive capabilities.

"This is impossible. Our humans and your Dragon Clan had an agreement thousands of years ago. Your clan shall not step into our territories. Thus, for thousands of years, the three great empires strictly forbade their warriors from killing your kind. There has been no dragon sighting on the continent in a millennium. How can you claim we are responsible for these deaths?"

"So, you mean my clan is wrongly accusing you?" Morantus's anger intensified, and the other four dragons also grew furious.

"Where were these dragons of your clan killed?" Seeing the dragons' reaction, the humans began to believe. Although proud, dragons rarely attacked humans without cause.

"In the western part of your Frost Empire, within the Hengduan Mountains."

"The west?" The eight humans exchanged thoughtful glances. "The west... isn't that the direction of Myatt City? But there were no reports of dragon sightings there, only a recent beast attack that stopped five li outside Myatt City and was subsequently annihilated."

"Two years ago, Nilasek of our Black Dragon clan was killed there. Afterwards, our clan chief sent three dragons to investigate discreetly, but even they were killed a few months ago. Are you saying this wasn't the doing of humans?"

After the great continental dominance battle 30,000 years ago, humans gained complete control of the continent. The subsequent killing of four dragons led the Dragon Clan to conclude that it was a targeted attack by organized human forces. Thus, the Dragon Clan unhesitatingly launched an assault on humanity.

"So this happened a few months ago?"

"Yes, five months ago."

The eight faces changed again. The time mentioned by Morantus was precisely when the city of Miat was destroyed. The group instantly thought of one person, Ye Han, but then...

"How strong are the four dragons?"

"The Black Dragon is in the early stages of the Holy Rank, followed by three more: one in the late stage of the Holy Rank and two in the middle stage."

The eight shook their heads slightly, not believing Ye Han could have killed those dragons. The strength of the four dragons was such that even if they joined forces, it would come at a great cost. How could a ninth-rank individual possibly achieve this?

Ye Han, listening to the conversation of both parties, knew well that his slaying of the dragons had infuriated their kind. Yet, he was not the least bit worried; in fact, he was even more pleased.

"We will investigate this matter thoroughly. However, we request that your dragon kind refrain from attacking our cities. They are innocent, and our stance is not out of fear of your kind," said one of the peak Holy Rank warriors standing at the forefront, expressing their intentions.

It was then the dragons' turn to be silent. Humans, after millennia of cultivation, were not comparable to their past selves in strength. Even the mighty dragon kind would suffer heavy losses in a full-scale attack by humans, which they did not wish to see.

"How long do you need?" Morantus withdrew the red glow from his body.

"Five years."

"Fine, we'll give you five years. If you haven't cleared up this matter within five years, then brace yourselves for our dragon kind's retaliation," Morantus declared, flying off into the distance. The eight Holy Rank warriors also quickly left the area.

Watching them depart, Ye Han stepped out from under the tree, his face bearing a sinister smile. "With me here, will you ever find peace?" he said, directing his words towards the direction the eight had left.