Spellcasting Gods

Only by going to the demons' homeland can we truly capture their souls in large numbers and tear them apart at their very root.

According to the "story," Illidan Stormrage will launch a surprise attack on Nazreza, the home of the dreadlords, and use the energy surge from the portal to completely destroy this planet located in the Twisting Nether.

At that time, hundreds of millions of demons will die, and their souls will be the best prey for Zhang Cheng.

Of course, before that, he needs to strengthen the Grimoire of Domination so that it can capture more demon souls in a short period of time.

Illidan gripped the Skull of Gul'dan tightly, hesitated for a moment, then immediately nodded in agreement, saying, "You're right! This is your business, and I have no reason to pry. Besides, I'd like to ask one more question: how much do you actually know about my plans?"

Zhang Cheng smiled and shrugged: "A lot! More than you can imagine. I know your next target is Nazreza, and you're going to lure the Burning Legion into opening a portal to reinforce you, then use the energy storm to destroy the entire planet."

“I don’t recall telling anyone about this plan. Where did you find out?” Illidan frowned subconsciously.

"If I talk about the future, would you believe me?" Zhang Cheng asked calmly.

"The future?" The demon hunter touched his lips thoughtfully. "If that's the case, then you must know the outcome, right? Tell me, did my plan succeed?"

“A resounding success! You not only destroyed Nazreza, but also killed the Deceiver Kil'jaeden on Argus and successfully sealed the Dark Titan Sargeras. In some ways, what you have done surpasses that of any intelligent life in Azeroth, even those so-called demigods and dragon guardians. You are a true legend.” Zhang Cheng bowed slightly and answered with a sincere expression.

“Interesting! Very interesting! I’m starting to really believe you’re from the future. Because before you mentioned Argus, I had absolutely no intention of attacking that world. It seems I must have found something interesting in Nazreza…”

As someone who had deceived and betrayed the Burning Legion multiple times, Illidan was undoubtedly quite intelligent and immediately realized that what he had just said was clearly not entirely a lie.

In particular, the daring raids were exactly the same as their own strategic plans.

“Yes, you will find a very important item in Nazreza’s archives—the Mark of Argus.” Zhang Cheng winked mysteriously.

"I see! But these alone are not enough to prove that you are not a spy sent by the Burning Legion."

"Understood! To show my sincerity, I will go to Nazreza with you and assist you in destroying this planet. I wonder if this will prove my sincerity?"

"Of course! I'd love to have such a powerful spellcaster like you join the raid. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, the raid will begin in a few minutes. I'll be using the souls of countless wounded and dead to open the portal. So, are you ready?"

As he said this, Illidan slightly curled the corners of his mouth, revealing a playful smile.

Zhang Cheng replied with a smile, "No problem! I've been prepared for battle for a long time."

"Then come with me! If you're not lying, a glorious victory awaits us." With that, Illidan stomped his demonic hooves on the ground, launched himself into the air, and flew away into the distance using his enormous wings.

"Sigh...looks like I'll have to get serious." Zhang Cheng muttered to himself as he cast a teleportation spell and followed closely behind.

A few seconds later, the two arrived at a place filled with the corpses of Broken Ones and Night Elves, which covered the ground in dense layers.

Some of them haven't yet breathed their last, but judging from their terrible injuries, they probably won't live much longer.

Illidan showed no mercy to these people. He raised the Skull of Gul'dan and began chanting incantations, imitating the Dark Portal built by the orc warlocks, tearing space apart with his life and soul.

A massive amount of green fel energy visibly coalesced and slowly surged toward a somewhat unstable portal.

next second...

boom!

The instant the two worlds were connected, an incredibly violent energy storm surged from the other side, instantly tearing many things around them to shreds.

The moment the storm subsided slightly, Illidan shouted at the army that was still waiting in the distance, "Idiots! What are you waiting for? Go! Charge! Slaughter all the demons that dare to stand in our way!"

"Let me go first!"

Zhang Cheng was the first to step through the portal, immediately unleashing a powerful spell to crush all the charging demons. He then gazed at the homeworld of the Dreadlord with a slightly curious look...

Chapter 622 Trust (Part 2)

Darkness, desolation, distortion...

At first glance, there is almost no trace of life; all that can be seen is the boiling planetary energy and the endless army of demons.

It must be said that, as one of the most important enemies of the Titan Pantheon, the Nathrezim demons are somewhat different from other demon races in the Burning Legion.

Because they were originally tools used by the Twisting Nether to find and incubate Star Souls, just like the Old Gods, they tend to favor Shadow Energy over Fel Energy.

This tendency makes the entire Nazreza appear, on the surface, as a place swallowed by the Twisting Nether.

Apart from a very few strongholds used to replenish the fel energy of other demons, most of the sites have maintained an unbearable silence and darkness from beginning to end. Whether it is plants or a few wild beasts, they have all been transformed into monsters that rely entirely on absorbing shadow energy to survive.

Even more terrifying is that the core of this planet is long dead, replaced by a black hole of unknown matter or energy, which continuously releases powerful gravity to ensure that the shattered crust does not disintegrate.

"This is the home of the Dreadlords? What an incredible place..." Zhang Cheng exclaimed to himself, his eyes wide with admiration.

From the moment he stepped through the portal, he could feel an indescribable power, which came from the pure shadow energy surging intensely deep within the earth.

If I'm not mistaken, that black hole-like device is nothing other than a connection point leading to the distorted void. The shadow energy of the entire universe spreads through one connection point after another.

"See this? This is the planet where demons can truly be killed! Demons killed here will never have a second chance to be resurrected," Illidan explained, having somehow appeared through the portal and now standing on a bare rock behind him.

Zhang Cheng nodded slightly: "You are right! I can sense that the souls of those demons become exceptionally dense around the Twisted Void, and dense souls are usually difficult to separate from the body. When the body is killed, these souls will also quickly dissipate, which is true annihilation."

"Not only that! See that point where the Earth's core connects to the Twisting Nether? It's like an extremely unstable energy bomb; if used even slightly, it could trigger a series of catastrophic consequences." Illidan grinned, revealing a cruel and bloodthirsty smile.

As the original demon hunter, he devoured the souls of many demons and knew the condition of every planet occupied by the Legion through their memories, which is why he dared to devise such a bold raid plan.

Compared to the Burning Legion's almost endless army, his small force of fel orcs, naga, and blood elves was as fragile as a newborn baby.

In addition, with the Legion's powerful inter-universe teleportation system, once Kil'jaeden the Deceiver realizes what's happening, he will immediately face annihilation.

While the two were talking, Illidan's army poured out of the portal and began a frenzied slaughter of all the demons they could encounter. In no time, they had cleared a path leading to the city not far away.

Meanwhile, the demon lord responsible for guarding the planet seemed to finally realize what was happening, sending out tens of thousands of low-level demons in an attempt to wipe out the audacious attackers. He had no idea who his enemy was or how thoroughly they understood the legion.

Watching the demon army swarm out from behind the city gates that resembled the mouth of a behemoth, Illidan instinctively gripped the Skull of Gul'dan, and said in a half-smile, "My dear human collaborator, it's time to show your sincerity. If I remember correctly, Dalaran's research into large-scale area-of-effect spells is quite commendable."

"As you wish, Your Majesty, King of the Outer Realms." Zhang Cheng placed one hand on his chest, bowed slightly, raised his supreme authority high, and chanted a spell loudly.

With each syllable triggering an energy tremor, a golden light flashed in his pupils. Immediately afterward, a massive amount of energy began to rapidly converge, forming a vast, dark, charged cloud that enveloped an area of ​​several kilometers, including the city.

Boom!

The first dull thud echoed through the air!

Blinding white lightning bolts rained down from the sky!

One!

Two!

Three!

Fifty!

One hundred!

……

The low-level demons were no match for the apocalyptic power of the spell, and suffered heavy casualties in the blink of an eye. Even the magic-powered mechs standing on the city walls could not escape the calamity, and were all turned into a pile of scrap metal under the lightning storm.

Shock!

trembling!

fear!

Whether they were the fel orcs and blood elves on the edge of the storm or the demons in the eye of the storm, they all looked up and stared intently at the falling lightning, forgetting to turn and run away.

When the thunderous roar of the clouds in the sky gradually subsided, less than one-tenth of the original 50,000 troops who had left the city walls remained.

"Brilliant spellcasting! Even more powerful than I imagined! I don't understand why a spellcaster like you is so unknown?" Illidan asked, slightly puzzled.

“It’s very simple! I’ve never pursued any so-called fame! Nor do I care about wealth and status in the eyes of ordinary people. The only things that interest me are knowledge and technology. Whether it’s the Alliance or the Horde, as long as they can provide me with something I’m interested in, I don’t mind serving them, just as I’m serving you now.” Zhang Cheng gave his answer with a smile.

“Ah! I see! You’re somewhat similar to me in my youth! A thirst for knowledge and power! That’s alright, I can grant you those, as long as you promise that all those prophecies will come true. Also, you’ve just passed the test, and from now on I will gradually give you some trust. But please remember, if one day I discover that you have betrayed me, the consequences will be severe,” Illidan warned meaningfully.

"Rest assured! I am not Kael'thas Sunstrider. In fact, by devouring the souls of Eredar demons, I have gained a very deep understanding of fel energy. Admittedly, it is a powerful force, but it can only be used for destruction, severely lacking the creativity and malleability of arcane energy, and is not the most ideal tool for spellcasters."

"Oh? You actually realize that! It's rather ironic, I must say! As a descendant of the High Elves who have lived for thousands of years, your understanding of magical energy is less than that of a human. Tell me your name, young man, and perhaps we can have a more in-depth exchange, an exchange between mages."

"My name is Zhang Cheng! It is my honor to be able to communicate with a master like you."

Chapter 0623 Weakness

While the two were talking, the bloodthirsty and easily angered orcs had already occupied the city gates and began to fight the demons along the streets and alleys.

Blood Elf Demon Hunters maximized their strengths, constantly reaping the lives of lower-level demons and absorbing their fel energy and souls to strengthen themselves.

With each demon they slay, the demon hunters grow stronger, their fel tattoos radiating a brilliant green light that makes many demons tremble at the sight of them.

Just as Illidan has always emphasized, Demon Hunters have been the nightmare of all the Burning Legion demons since the moment they were born.

Without demons, there are no hunters!

But as long as the demon is not destroyed, the hunters will never stop to rest!

Illidan had clearly noticed Zhang Cheng's persistent gaze on the young demon hunters, and immediately probed, "What, are you interested in them?"

The latter smiled and shook his head: "No! To be precise, I'm interested in all kinds of knowledge and interests. Nothing is more satisfying than exploring the unknown and uncovering the truth hidden beneath the surface."

"Hahaha! I admire your ambition! I also admire your attitude towards magic! That's right! Uncovering the truth hidden beneath the surface—that's what a spellcaster should do. It's like how everyone, including the night elves, fears the Burning Legion and its master, the Dark Titan Sargeras, yet no one ever thinks to study them, to investigate the weaknesses of seemingly invincible enemies, and then to defeat them." Illidan raised his head, his tone filled with approval and pride.

In a sense, what he is doing is directly confronting the powerful Legion and the Dark Titans as a mortal.

"There's a saying in my hometown that I think makes a lot of sense. Every intelligent life form, whether god or mortal, is a collection of emotions and desires. If you can give them what they most desire, they will exchange everything they have. In my view, whether it's the demons of the Burning Legion or Sargeras, they all have their own strong emotions—anger, fear, or the frustration of tasting defeat. In short, they are no different from us. And these intense emotional and desire changes are precisely a weakness. Aren't you exploiting the enemy's arrogance and anger right now?"

While saying this, Zhang Cheng kept trying to perceive Illidan's superficial thoughts through his psychic abilities.

Interestingly, whether it was due to the demon hunter's inherent constitution or the fact that he had devoured too many demon souls, he could only obtain some incomprehensible and chaotic information no matter how he tried to sense it.

Of course, to avoid being detected by the other party, he had no intention of forcibly intruding.

In fact, he had always been very curious about Illidan Stormrage, wanting to know what made this "exile" willing to give everything to destroy the Burning Legion.

Is Tyrande Whisperwind's love destined to be fruitless?

Or is there some other reason?

But the Demon Hunter clearly hadn't noticed this, nodding to himself in response, "That's right! I'm exploiting Kil'jaeden the Deceiver's arrogance and rage. I believe that when he learns that Nazreza has been attacked, he'll be furious and immediately send reinforcements to wipe out this wretched little rat. But he's completely unaware that my true purpose is to use the destruction of this planet to eliminate as many of the Legion's remaining forces as possible. Besides, your massive area-of-effect spell just now also had a significant effect. I guarantee that the highest commander remaining in Nazreza is now appealing to Kil'jaeden for help; given the Dreadlord's nature, he wouldn't easily risk his life."

"So, we're about to be wanted by the Burning Legion?" Zhang Cheng shrugged, a nonchalant expression on his face.

"Yes! What, are you scared?" Illidan pursed his lips slightly.

“Afraid? No! Not at all! In fact, when I came to the Outer Realms, I deceived the Doom Lord Kazzak. He roared like a mad dog and wanted to hunt me down to the ends of the universe, but I’m still fine now.” Zhang Cheng teased in a half-joking tone.

Anyway, when the legion comes knocking, he can just walk away if he finds things are going badly, so there's nothing to worry about.

"You managed to outwit Kazzak? I must admit, that's quite a feat! You'd better watch out! As far as I know, he's not exactly a magnanimous fellow; even for the sake of his own reputation, he'll find a way to get rid of you." Illidan raised an eyebrow, his tone full of schadenfreude.