Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 402, Section 11. What? The Mogu Death Knights and the Mantid have come to dig up the grave of the Celestial Being?
"Prince of the Gadgetzan has been involved in a plane crash. According to its description, it was when the fleeing Ragnaros rushed out of the Elemental Frontier that he crashed into its airship."

Inside the Exodar's cabin, Onyxia rushed to the navigation console and reported to Diakum, who was sitting on the "Golden Toilet - Vigilant Custom Edition":

"That guy didn't fall to his death or get blown up, and he was just as lucky as the legends say, as he unexpectedly encountered the Misty Island that was heading towards the Misty Continent. He said he would try to stay on the Pandaren's island, but he needs us to rescue him."

"Is the Wandering Isle heading towards Pandaria?"

Diakum said in surprise:

"Logically speaking, when Shinji was traveling in the Endless Sea, he should have deliberately avoided Pandaria. That touching dragon turtle didn't want to return to that sad place after its companion died."

Where are they now?

"According to Hot Sands' description, it should be on the outermost edge of the Misty Continent. It says there is an archipelago there, all of them deserted islands."

Onyxia replied.

Aegwynn unfolded the map she had drawn during her last visit, and after studying it for a while, she said to Diakum:
"Further south of the Krasarang Jungle! It will take time for the Pandaria mists to completely dissipate. That goblin was quite lucky; if it had fallen a little further off course, it would have encountered an ocean vortex, and then even a god couldn't have saved it."

But you were right.

Ragnaros really did escape somewhere in Pandaria. Great, I can just take care of him along the way!

"Who said I was guessing?"

In his crystal form, Dick shrugged and then said to Onyxia:
"Reply to my partner for me, and tell Hot Sands and his people to look for Chen Stormstout after they land on Wandering Isle. He's a friend of mine, and Old Chen will host the goblins to settle in first."

We will go and receive the children of God when they land on the continent of Pandaria.

Most importantly, tell Hot Sands that there are strange energies in Pandaria that can stir up evil thoughts, and that it and its greedy goblins will likely be troubled by some kind of negative emotion.

If you encounter trouble, seek help from the martial monks of Wuchen Temple as soon as possible!

Such spiritual pollution, if it becomes too deep, can endanger life.

"Ow."

The Black Dragon Princess responded and turned to deliver the message.

She had previously applied to the Vigilant to take full responsibility for liaison with the goblin corporation. She quite liked the job; the intrigue and backstabbing in goblin society satisfied the strange, dark desires in the black dragon's heart.

The reason why black dragons generally like to hide in human society is not just because of the need to conceal their identities; they really enjoy the immersive experience of outsmarting and outmaneuvering others.

This can be seen from the fact that Deathwing is still trying his best to play the role of "Lord Davar".

It's unknown what kind of strange, abstract thought process the Old Gods instilled into Deathwing's brain when they corrupted him.

"So, shall we continue straight ahead?"

Aegwynn said:

"Go straight to the Emerald Forest?"

"Yes, that's the capital of the Pandaren civilization. Didn't you go there?"

Diakum replied:
"We need to find the Golden Lotus Cult, which is in charge of the Pandaren's internal affairs. We are outsiders, and when we want to intervene in a continent that has been isolated for 10,000 years, but still has a complete civilization system and powerful military, it is best to follow their way."

Aegwynn nodded.

Then, she looked at the Guardian in its crystal form with a strange gaze.

This guy has probably never been to Pandaria, yet he can name a specific faction like the "Golden Lotus." I myself spent thirty-six hours in the Jade Forest of Pandaria amidst the mist, but I was still completely clueless about the somewhat complex power structure within the Pandaren.

The language barrier is a huge problem!

The Pandaren's unique language has its own logic, which is difficult even for spellcasters like Aegwynn to learn. There are too many allusions used in spoken language that need to be understood. The Pandaren's writing is strongly linked to their history.

The problem is that the Pandaren civilization has existed for over 12,000 years without interruption, and its accumulated anecdotes, even those used only for daily communication, number in the thousands.

This level of difficulty is indeed terrifying.

So even now, Aegwynn is holding a Pandaren dictionary in her hand. As a representative of the Star Soul, being proficient in communicating with various races around the world is a basic skill she must master. From this point of view, Aegwynn's job is indeed not easy.

The Exodar spaceship moved swiftly, arriving deep within the mists of Pandaria a few hours later.

This powerful mist barrier has not yet dissipated, preventing outsiders from entering. However, the Heart of Azeroth serves as an excellent medium, and with the help of the World Mother, the spaceship can pass through the mist without hindrance.

As the spaceship descended, a landscape completely different from that of the eastern continent and Kalimdor appeared before the twins.

They stood on the observation deck, looking down at the lush, continuous mountain range below. The welcoming pines growing on the rocks stood tall and straight, and flags were planted on the peaks. But what was most surprising were the buildings built against the mountainside.

Black and white bricks undulate along the mountain ridge, creating long walkways and steps. Every so often, a temple-like building stands, and even larger groups of buildings rise up in the plains below the mountains.

Everywhere there are well-cultivated bamboo groves, grain fields, and peach orchards, as well as various statues and villages.

Especially in the central area of ​​this land, when the wind blows, peach-colored flowers dance in the air, outlining this unfamiliar land in a romantic and poetic way.

The twins noticed that in a huge temple, many pandaren were practicing martial arts on a square platform. Their powerful shouts made the monks look very strong, and the strict instructors were correcting the apprentices' improper movements with rulers in their hands.

This indicates that this continent possesses a complete military training system, and judging from the prosperity of this region, it definitely has a highly civilized racial heritage.

"An alien race is approaching from the left!"

The Lightforged's reminder prompted the twins to change their perspective. They saw a giant, serpentine dragon carrying some Pandaren knights curiously approaching the gem-equipped spaceship.

Above, majestic pandamen waved flags, as if signaling the spaceship to approach and descend in the direction they indicated.

"Aren't they afraid of our spaceship?"

The Gemini said in surprise:

"Humans would be afraid."

"You're underestimating me, aren't you?"

Diakum complained:
"The Pandaren aren't like humans, those bumpkins. Although they didn't participate in the War of the Ancients, they saw the Burning Legion's starships before they went into seclusion. The Pandaren are good at recording history, so naturally they would record these things and pass them down."
Ok?
Ms. Aegwynn, is there a battle taking place in the central area of ​​Jade Forest?
I could feel the aura of emptiness surging there!

"Hold on."

Aegwynn immediately cast an observation spell similar to Eagle Eye, and a few seconds later, she said seriously:
"There was a small skirmish near the tall jade dragon statue, with a group of mantis-like insects and some half-giants shrouded in the aura of death besieging the Pandaren guards."

A standard raid, the attackers are truly elite!
Go help!

The Pandaren monks there are about to collapse.

"Okay, sit tight!"

Dick responded, and on the golden toilet, he increased his effort, causing the Exodar, which was already preparing to land, to accelerate immediately. Amidst the flash of golden light, the ship carrying a crew headed straight for the giant sculpture in the middle of the Emerald Forest.

The well-trained Lightforged were assembled and entered the landing zone. Yrel, Marad, and Nuboton were to lead the warriors into ground combat as commanders, but as they prepared to launch their assault, they saw the Twins also approaching fully armed.

"You're going to be deployed too?"

Irele said in surprise:
"Didn't Lady Aegwynn say that the conflict below was limited to the level of legendaries? Is it really necessary for demigods to participate?"

"No, we're just going down to 'protect' you."

Saloras explained:
"Commander Diakum said that Pandaria has a strange energy called 'Sha'. When fighting here, winning or losing is not important. The real key is whether you can protect your mind from being affected."

“That towering jade dragon statue is clearly some kind of ‘suppressing object’.”

Aurecis waved her staff, casting a buff on the surrounding Lightforged, and said:

"The attackers' goal is to break the seal; they want to release something beneath the statue. From a diplomatic standpoint, if we help the Pandaren resolve this crisis, we can integrate into their society more quickly."

"Makes sense."

Yrel nodded, then put his Lightforged Warhelm on his head.

She awakened her holy blade, eager to try it out. Little Hoof was always confident in her own willpower; she was an elite warrior who had fought her way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood alongside the Vigilant!
You can doubt her cooking skills, but you can never doubt her unwavering faith and dedication.

"We're about to enter ground combat! The teleportation beacon has been deployed, warriors prepare to charge!" Archmage Imira's command caused the Lightforged to grab their weapons, and as the teleportation light illuminated before them, they rushed in in unison.

On the battlefield beneath the Azure Dragon statue, the warrior monks of Azure Dragon Temple were repeatedly defeated by the sudden attack of the Mantis Demons and Mogu Death Warriors. It wasn't that the warrior monks were weak; those sent to guard the Celestial Venerable statue were truly elites.

The problem is that the Mantises have sent out a "hero"!
Those are the Mantid warriors who have "left their mark" in countless battles throughout Pandaria's millennia-long history. Only the elite who have accomplished brutal destruction or great deeds are qualified to use such a title.

Every hero is a "killer" capable of taking on a hundred men single-handedly. Each possesses unique power and is a war lord who has survived countless trials in the cruel "great cycle" of the Mantis every hundred years without being eliminated. They are the elite embodiment of the Swarm's power.

When they strike, especially in a sneak attack, the monks are caught completely off guard, and the outcome is predictable.

However, the warrior monks of Qinglong Temple were not cowards.

Although their destructive power is not as great as the White Tiger Monk, their healing skills are not as good as the Red Crane Monk, and their defensive super armor is not as good as the Black Ox Monk, the Azure Dragon Monks are the most balanced school. They are proficient in everything and are true all-rounders. After being ambushed, they quickly regrouped and prepared to launch a counterattack under the leadership of the Azure Dragon Head Instructor, Ms. Liu Yanxin.

We must never allow the mantid and the Mogu to desecrate the statue of the Lord of Wisdom!

Just as the monks, having drunk the courage-boosting wine and preparing for a desperate fight, were about to step forward, triangular golden orbs descended from the sky. These orbs took root upon landing and then unfolded, revealing fierce and towering alien warriors enveloped in holy light as they charged out.

The Lightforged landed in the rear, catching the Mantid and Mogu off guard.

In the holy light of the battle, a row of insects and half-giants were cut down in a single encounter. Liu Yanxin immediately spotted this opportunity. The fierce female monk shouted and launched her attack, "Soaring Dragon in the Sky," transforming into a blue dragon that lashed out into the chaotic enemy ranks.

With the combined efforts of both sides, the mantises and mogu giants that had approached the Azure Dragon statue were forced back, which enraged the invaders, who then began to fight like cornered beasts again.

The mantis is a ruthless fighter, combining the agility of a dragonfly with the ferocity of a mantis. It is also very strong, and when it fights, it is like a storm of blades.

The Mogu are true half-giants; these creatures are even taller than the Eredar. Moreover, these Mogu are strange; they are all the dead, their eyes blazing with spiritual fire, their heavy blades shrouded in a chilling aura, and they can even control the dead.

That's a Death Knight!
As the Exodar landed in a nearby bamboo forest, Diakum, who had arrived on the battlefield via a teleportation beacon, looked at the Mogu with surprise. He said to Aegwynn beside him:
"What am I dreaming about? How can a Mogu, a Titan descendant, be involved with the Force of Death? Hmm, I think I know where that malevolent rift left by the Force of Death is."

But if what I think is true, then things are getting a bit complicated.

Dick frowned, wanting to grab a Mogu for questioning. Aegwynn, wielding the howling Staff of Elune, used teleportation to bring the largest Mogu warrior on the battlefield to their front.

This Mogu was dressed in Pandaria-style heavy armor, with only two eerie blue spirit fire eyes flickering beneath the sinister, ghostly armor. He wielded a massive guandao (a type of halberd) carved with a blue dragon, looking quite imposing.

It was still in the midst of a fierce battle when it was teleported over. Upon seeing the two "little guys" in front of it, it raised its giant blade and slashed down without saying a word.

The emperor's decree must be carried out!

"boom"

Diakum effortlessly wielded the massive blade, weighing over a hundred pounds, as if catching a fluttering butterfly. Then, a burst of golden holy light erupted, transforming into chains that bound the death-corrupted Mogu overlord, forcing it to drop its weapon and kneel on the ground.

This was clearly a disgrace to the Mogu.

It roared, but then the small, black-haired, black-eyed man questioned it in fluent Mogu language from the "Duyang Era":

"Who ordered you to attack the statue of the God of Wisdom? Do you know what lies beneath the statue?"

The powerful Mogu overseer did not intend to answer, but the spiritual guidance of the demigod priests was something it could not resist. If they were still hard rock, they would naturally not be affected, but now they were soft flesh and blood.

After a moment, the Mogu overseer said in a hoarse voice:
“We have come here on the Emperor’s orders to destroy the blasphemous statue. The Emperor’s strategist, Lord Theon, personally devised the plan. We chose to ally with the despicable and laughable Mantis, and we know that the 'Doubtful Fiend' is sealed beneath the Jade Dragon Statue.”

But that's Lord Theon's strategy.

The outbreak of the Sha of Doubt will destroy the Pandaren's defenses in the Jade Forest. At that time, the Sha of Doubt will belong to the Mantid, and this land will belong to us. Of course, the Mantid will not be able to take anything away except death!

The formidable Commander Hao has already deployed the emperor's guards outside, and Yi Zhi Sha is also the emperor's enemy!

After killing the Mantid, we will bring the Sha of Doubt back to Kun-Lai Summit and hand it over to the Emperor's most powerful sorcerer, the 'Shadowlord of Eternal Shadow,' who possesses secret techniques to use the Sha to enhance the Emperor's invincible warriors!

"Good heavens! This is a hodgepodge of Mogu warlords."

Diakum was startled.

It wasn't that the information the warlord revealed was particularly alarming; rather, it was that the names of the people mentioned in his words were mortal enemies in official history, the kind who would fight each other to the death if they met, yet now they were united under the "Emperor's" banner.

The Mogu not only embraced death, but also unified their clans.
This is a little scary.

Diakum squinted and asked:
Who is the 'Emperor'?

"Ha, who else could it be? Of course, it's the invincible King-Slayer, the powerful God-Slayer! He is the Mogu warrior, the only monarch of Pandaria and even the entire world, the Lightning King!"
His Majesty has never died; His Majesty lives on forever!

The trapped Mogu overlord seemed to be overwhelmed by some kind of "glory," and in his extreme loyalty, he even broke through Dick's mental guidance. With the flickering spirit fire in his eyes, he ignored the burning of the holy light and roared loudly:

"In the name of the Emperor, warriors! Kill the enemy!"

"Ow"

Upon hearing the warlord's roar, the Mogu warriors howled and launched a deadly offensive against their opponents.

They had no chance of winning, yet at that moment they ignored death.

Since they were already dead anyway, they didn't care about dying again to uphold the dignity of the emperor's warriors.

These creatures' desperate counterattack threw the battlefield into chaos once more. The cunning mantises took advantage of the confusion to fly away from the battlefield, but were then struck down by the twins' summoned heavenly fire, which burned their wings and sent them crashing back to the ground.

There's nowhere to escape!

So the mantises had no choice but to fight to the death.

“The ground, Dick! Something strange is seeping out of the ground.”

As Diakum stared with a subtle gaze at the Mogu death knight who was self-immolating in the holy light, Aegwynn beside him reminded him:
"Black and white. This thing isn't void energy, nor is it the dark entropy energy you use. What is it?"

"Stop!"

The vigilant turned and strode toward the battlefield, casually explaining:
"The residual energy of Y'Shaarj, the strongest ancient god, after his death. That ancient god has fallen, but its shadow and power have never left this continent."

The evil energy is a unique power; it is formless and intangible. The black and white energy you see is merely the pattern it forms when it takes effect.

When you can see it, it means it 'sees' you too.

Honestly, haven't you started to 'reflect' on this?

He glanced at Aegwynn.

The Star Soul spokesperson hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said:
"Indeed, since the beginning of this, I have been questioning myself about whether the choices I have made in my life are correct, whether the path I have taken is just, and whether I can reach the other side with trepidation."

Wow, that's truly amazing power.

How could it possibly make someone as extremely self-centered as me start 'passively reflecting' without me even realizing it?

"So, today's 'reflection voucher' is on me."

Diakum jokingly entered Voidform, waving his hand toward Aegwynn, and the cold entropy energy gathered to dispel the influence of the Stigma.

Both are forces of the void; though they do not follow the same path, they can drive each other away.

The vigilant ignored the soldiers on both sides who had entered a state of "reflection" on the battlefield. After all, it's not a bad thing to reflect occasionally, as long as one doesn't fall into the "nihilism" of self-doubt.

He transformed into a gust of entropy energy, crossed the battlefield, and landed in front of the Azure Dragon statue. He then took out a box and placed it above the Demon Seal.

He wants to absorb the "Doubtful Evil" sealed here.

This was also one of his main purposes for coming to Pandaria; he needed this power to influence the emotions of others.

Power itself is neither good nor evil; it all depends on how it is used.

But the vigilant seemed unaware that a pair of cold eyes were fixed on him and the dagger being drawn from his hand in the darkness.

Blade of the Dark Empire
Those were the remains of the 'Dominator'.

Ah, sacred relic of the seven-headed beast, the remains of Y'Shaarj, after being lost for millions of years, you have finally returned to the sight of your loyal servants.

The great cycle has come to an end! The age of the Mantis is about to begin!

(End of this chapter)