The leader of the Green Dragonflight was Nyssera. She was the guardian of the World Tree, "Shaladrassil," in the Broken Isles, an ancient Green Dragon over ten thousand years old, with eminent status and formidable power.
Of course, the reason Ysera sent her wasn't because she was stronger than other ancient Green Dragons; it was purely because those stronger than her couldn't be contacted.
The strongest, Eranikus, had disappeared fifteen hundred years ago.
Lethon, Emeriss, Taerar, and Ysondre, who were responsible for guarding the four main passages from the Emerald Dream to Azeroth, had also suddenly disappeared for unknown reasons.
And Mylune, considered the most talented and favored, had been trapped in the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj a thousand years ago, her fate unknown to this day.
Such an important place as Sandar Hill could only be entrusted to her.
From the Jungle Guardian, Remulos, the guardian of Moonglade, was sent.
He was the son of Cenarius, and like Nyssera, he was at the High-level Legendary tier, holding an extremely high position within the Jungle Guardian and the Cenarion Council—second only to one, above all others—his status was comparable to Malfurion.
Cenarius personally sending him showed the importance he placed on Sandar Hill.
From the druids, a young Night Elf named Broll Bearmantle was sent.
Although he was only a High-level Druid, his identity and status were far inferior to the other two, yet he was one of only two druids with antlers among all druids—those antlered druids in Val'sharah didn't count!
Their antlers were a partial animalistic form retained because of their reverence for the White Stag demigod Malorne.
Antlers were considered a symbol of a druid's great power.
Malfurion Stormrage's antlers appeared only after he became an Archdruid, while Broll Bearmantle's antlers were natural.
This indicated that his druidic talent was even greater than Malfurion's.
Malfurion sending him clearly entrusted him with a heavy responsibility; he was being groomed as a successor.
"Kael'thas, you must give us an explanation!"
Nyssera, with the highest status and strongest power, lay on a dragon's nest built from numerous branches and leaves, looking down at Kael'thas from above, her voice filled with fury.
"What's going on? Even if a Green Dragon is pregnant, she shouldn't be this angry, and she's not the one pregnant—wait a minute!"
Kael'thas muttered softly, then suddenly noticed Nyssera's posture was a bit off.
Among the Five Great Dragon Aspects, the Green Dragons were the most slender.
The Green Dragon Queen Ysera was like that, much thinner than her sister Alexstrasza, truly elegant.
Nyssera was different.
She was noticeably a bit plumper than Ysera.
One of her small, delicate claws was protecting her belly, and the other was placed directly on her lower abdomen, with a round object seemingly beneath her claw.
That thing was... a dragon egg?
"No way, no way, she's pregnant—ah, no, she's the one laying eggs?"
"It's her."
Lirath Windrunner whispered.
Kael'thas was speechless and quickly asked, "Isn't she an ancient dragon, at least ten thousand years old? And she's so powerful, her physiological resistance and mental will should be very strong, so how could she be affected?"
"How would I know? Nyssera is very arrogant and barely communicates with us!" Lirath Windrunner complained softly.
Most dragons are arrogant, and Krasus is no exception. He chats and laughs with Antonidas and Kael'thas because these two are legendary mages with similar power and knowledge; it would be different with someone else.
Among the Kirin Tor's Council of Six, Krasus was more mysterious and unconventional than Kael'thas.
Except for the councilor, Ronin, he barely communicated with any other mages, and other mages were unaware of his dragon identity.
"Then I'll find someone who knows and ask."
Kael'thas quietly cast a spell, communicating with Ysera through the Dragon Soul: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you there?"
"I am!"
"Your Majesty, did you tell your children about the aphrodisiac?"
"No."
In the depths of the Emerald Dream, Ysera's gentle voice sounded: "The Green Dragonflight, like the High Elf, also has reproduction issues, so I deliberately didn't mention it."
In fact, she had been troubled by reproduction problems for a long time, but she hadn't considered such a nefarious trick as an aphrodisiac.
Kael'thas's request actually helped her a great deal.
That's why she agreed so readily.
Kael'thas: "..."
No wonder so many Green Dragons were sent, over a hundred of them, with roughly half male and half female.
It turns out they weren't here to help me guard Sandar Hill, but to mate!
He asked, "Your Majesty, what's going on with Nyssera? Why was she also affected?"
After a brief silence, Ysera said awkwardly, "Nyssera has been in Shaladrassil for nearly ten thousand years, surrounded only by hatchlings and whelps, with no adult male dragons. She has never had a sexual life or given birth to offspring, and her temper has become increasingly irritable."
"Moreover, she has been guarding the satyr prison and is inevitably affected by succubi."
"I was worried she would have mental problems and be devoured by succubi, so I specifically took care of her, allowing her to have some—...beautiful erotic dreams—...every time she fell into slumber."
Kael'thas: "—"
He finally understood. Among the Four Dragon Aspects, Ysera, the most favored younger sister, was the most scheming, the most wicked, capable of even such things!
"Actually, the effect is really good. Nyssera's temper is much better than before. If it were in the past, she would have already attacked you fiercely," Ysera said.
Kael'thas was speechless. You call this a good temper? She's spitting all over my face!
"Kael'thas!"
"Are you listening to me?"
"You must give me an explanation!"
Nyssera's roar interrupted Kael'thas and Ysera's conversation.
Ysera's voice echoed in Kael'thas's mind: "I'll explain."
A few minutes later, Nyssera's expression changed, and she finally snorted lightly, saying, "I was wrong to blame you. Consider it that I owe you a favor. I will help you build Sandar Hill well!"
What could she say?
The arrangements of Her Majesty, the matriarch, made under the guise of "I'm doing this for your own good," could she object? Could she protest? She could only accept.
After all, Her Majesty the Queen was not only older than her and held a higher position, but her power was also dozens of times stronger than hers, capable of punishing her with ease.
"And, that feeling was actually quite good. Tonight, I'll turn into human form and do it a few more times!" Nyssera thought.
She wasn't against mating; she was just against being arranged to mate by others!
Since it was Her Majesty's will, and resistance was futile, she might as well enjoy it. Anyway, the other party was indeed handsome.
Their power and status were also comparable, a perfect match, and Her Majesty wouldn't object!
What she didn't know was that even her mate had been influenced by the Green Dragon Queen; this marriage had been arranged by both families.
Upon hearing this, Lirath Windrunner was immediately overjoyed: "You are willing to help? That's great!"
During this time, she had witnessed the abilities of the Green Dragons.
In the domain of nature, no one was stronger than them, including the Jungle Guardian and the Druids.
Any one of their spells could make branches and leaves grow rapidly, filling in the empty areas of the support structure.
They could make trees grow in any desired way, such as directly into tables, chairs, and benches.
Even young dragons and hatchlings were so powerful, so ancient Green Dragons must be ten or even a hundred times stronger than them.
If Nisandra was willing to help, the speed of constructing Sandar Hill would definitely be at least twice as fast as before!
"Remulos, I was negligent. I didn't inform you about this beforehand."
Kael'thas looked at Cenarius's son and apologized sincerely, ready to make a substantial compensation.
But he never expected that Remulos, who had been furious just moments ago, was now perfectly calm:
"Now that there's another World Tree to protect, the number of Keepers of the Grove isn't enough. This is a good opportunity to procreate more. This is a good thing."
Kael'thas looked utterly bewildered.
His anger level just now was higher than Nisandra's, and now it's gone?
Although his face was still stern, he looked like he was feigning seriousness, completely unable to hide the occasional smile that caused wrinkles to appear on his face!
"Could it be that Cenarius himself just placated him?"
"That's impossible. He's not Ysera, just an ordinary demigod. His communication with Remulos couldn't escape my notice!"
Kael'thas couldn't understand, but he still sincerely said: "Regardless, it was my oversight. Coincidentally, I recently received information about your brother Zaetar, so let me compensate you with that."
"You know about Zaetar too?" Remulos was even more surprised.
Like his father, he was also a Druid mentor, often appearing to teach the ways of the Druids, nurturing generations of Druids. He was a leader of the Cenarion Council and highly renowned among the Night Elf.
Kael'thas knowing him was understandable.
Zaetar was different.
Zaetar disappeared a thousand years ago, before Kael'thas was even born. How could he know him?
"Not only do I know him, but I also know that he coupled with Princess Theradras, the Earth Elemental, and gave birth to the Centaur race," Kael'thas said.
"Earth—Earth Elemental?"
"The Centaur are the offspring of Cenarius's son and an Earth Elemental princess?"
Lirath Windrunner and the others were all stunned.
Cenarius's son is a nature spirit, and an Earth Elemental princess sounds like an elemental spirit. They could combine and even procreate? Is there no reproductive isolation?
As for the Centaur, they had heard of them.
Some High Elves would travel to various parts of the world, bringing back tales of distant lands, including the Centaur.
They knew that the Centaur lived in a place called "Desolace" on the continent of Kalimdor. They were numerous, strong, fast, and their archery was no less than that of the High Elves.
Moreover, they were irritable, aggressive, and had been hunting the docile Tauren, almost driving them to extinction.
Such a violent race, descendants of Cenarius, the Son of the Forest King?
"The Centaur's personality must take after their mother!"
"That Earth Elemental princess must be very difficult to get along with!"
Everyone thought.
In fact, upon closer inspection, the Centaur and the Jungle Guardian do look quite similar.
Both are four-legged creatures, both have two arms, and both can be ridden—
The Centaur are robust, which perfectly compensates for the High Elves' weaker physiques.
The Centaur are excellent archers, and High Elf rangers are also excellent archers.
If rangers rode Centaur, wouldn't they be able to easily defeat Orcish wolf riders?
"Your Highness, Lord Remulos, how did Lord Zaetar come to be with the Earth Elemental princess?" Lirath Windrunner's gossip flame burned brightly.
Kael'thas smiled: "Let Remulos tell it himself."
Remulos sighed and said: "This story goes back to the Tauren."
Like the Night Elf, the Tauren were also close to nature.
Thousands of years ago, many Tauren followed Cenarius, learning the ways of the Druids. Some even joined the Cenarion Council and entered the Emerald Dream, constantly healing this scarred world.
Another group of Tauren believed in the ways of Shamanism.
They came to a place called "Maraudon" and perceived strong Earth Elemental energy there, so they settled down.
For decades, they communicated with the elements in the earth and performed rituals.
However, they never expected to awaken "Princess Theradras," the daughter of the Earth Elemental Lord Therazane!
Unlike Therazane, Princess Theradras was not sealed in the Earth Elemental Plane but was hidden deep within the earth, in slumber.
Over countless ages, her power continuously drained, and she grew weaker and weaker.
So upon awakening, she instinctively began to draw power from the earth, causing the land within several hundred kilometers to become barren, which later became Desolace.
Plants withered, animals died en masse, and the vast and complex ecosystem was destroyed in an instant, even affecting the Emerald Dream.
As the offspring of the Forest King, Zaetar volunteered to investigate. For some unknown reason, he fell in love with Princess Theradras and even gave birth to the Centaur!
"That Earth Elemental princess must have been very beautiful to attract Lord Zaetar," Lirath Windrunner guessed.
Kael'thas's expression was peculiar: "Beautiful? She was quite beautiful."
Azeroth is a magical place. All princesses have extraordinary and wondrous appearances, truly a sight to behold.
The aesthetics of the Jungle Guardian and Earth Elementals are probably completely different from those of High Elves and humans.
In short, those two just clicked, like a turtle seeing a green bean!
Zaetar was attracted by Princess Theradras's beauty, and Princess Theradras was also smitten with Zaetar's looks.
And so they got together!
"But it's still very strange for two races with such huge differences to combine!"
Lirath Windrunner's mind conjured images of her three daughters combining with other races, and a chill immediately ran down her spine.
She absolutely could not accept such a thing.
"Strange? What's strange about it? Why can't a Jungle Guardian combine with an alien race? That's prejudice!"
The ancient Green Dragon Nisandra suddenly roared at Lirath Windrunner.
Lirath Windrunner quickly shut up, knowing she had committed a grave taboo.
Kael'thas was somewhat baffled. What does a Jungle Guardian have to do with you, Green Dragon?
She's in confinement, such a temper!
He looked at Remulos: "After Zaetar and Princess Theradras combined, did Lord Cenarius and you not go to visit him?"
Remulos shook his head: "Father is the protector of Azeroth and the Emerald Dream, very busy. I am the protector of Moonglade, also very busy."
"I sent my offspring, but those Centaur have strong territorial instincts and are too belligerent, not allowing any outsiders to approach."
He asked: "Kael'thas, do you have any news of him?"
Kael'thas nodded: "After he and Princess Theradras gave birth to the Centaur, he despised the Centaur's ugliness and brutality, and then he was killed by the Centaur."
"Ah?" Lirath Windrunner, Nisandra, and the others were all incredibly surprised.
They knew the Centaur were brutal, but they never expected them to be so brutal as to commit patricide!
"Impossible, this is impossible."
Remulos shook his head: "If he had died, his soul would have returned to the Emerald Dream, but I haven't seen him."
Kael'thas said: "Because his soul was enchanted by Princess Theradras and imprisoned deep within Maraudon, where they lived."
"Why?" Everyone was puzzled.
"Because of love?"
Kael'thas guessed, "Zaetar's soul returned to the Emerald Dream, and they were separated, unable to meet. Princess Theradras couldn't accept it."
Earth elementals cannot enter the Emerald Dream, and neither can the princess.
Lirath Windrunner shook her head, thinking that interspecies relationships truly don't work and will eventually lead to trouble.
Nisandra's eyes, however, flickered, and her expression changed continuously, lost in thought.
"We must rescue him!" Remulos said in a deep voice.
Though he didn't approve of Zaetar and Princess Theradras' union, he had nothing to say about it; it was their business, not his.
But for Princess Theradras to kill Zaetar, imprison his soul, and prevent him from returning home—that was unacceptable.
As his brother, he was going to handle this matter!
Kael'thas said, "The Centaur are numerous, and Maraudon is their birthplace and holy land, so it must be heavily guarded by elites. They won't be easy to deal with. I'll go with you."
Lirath Windrunner glanced at him, deep in thought.
Was His Highness truly revealing this information out of guilt? Impossible!
His Highness is not the type to feel guilty!
She could guarantee that even without this incident, His Highness would find other reasons to reveal the information, thereby helping Lord Remulos rescue Lord Zaetar.
As for the purpose?
Perhaps it was to win the favor of the Jungle Guardian family, making them and even Cenarius owe him a favor.
Perhaps it was related to the Earth Elemental Princess.
Perhaps there was something in Maraudon that His Highness needed but couldn't get himself, so he roped Remulos in as a helper.
Perhaps he was coveting Zaetar's soul.
Of course, the most likely scenario is... all of the above!
Remulos hesitated slightly, then said, "I originally intended to bring the Keepers of the Grove, but doing so would surely lead to intense conflict, even a large-scale war."
"For you and me to infiltrate and quietly resolve the issue is indeed better."
The Keepers of the Grove were his children, and the Centaur were Zaetar's children.
A war between the two sides would certainly not be a good thing and would make his position very difficult.
Nisandra called out, "I'll go with you!"
Remulos jumped into the dragon's nest, caressed the dragon egg in her abdomen, and said softly, "You've just given birth and are still very weak. Plus, you need to hatch our child, so please don't go."
Seeing this, Kael'thas was dumbfounded.
Nisandra's mate... was Remulos?
"Do all Keepers of the Grove have this taste?"
Zaetar found an Earth Elemental, and you, Remulos, found a Green Dragon. Both equally rebellious.
"No, this is genetic!"
Kael'thas remembered Cenarius.
Cenarius' father was the White Stag demigod Malorne, his mother was the Life deity Elune, and his adoptive mother was the Green Dragon Queen Ysera. Three parents, three races.
How is this rebellious? This is following tradition!
No wonder Remulos was so angry before, and it was all an act. So that's why!
The reason he pretended to be angry and came to demand an explanation was entirely to cater to Nisandra's feelings, to appease his wife!
"The Old Stag family are all master seducers, much better than me!" Kael'thas exclaimed with emotion.
Nisandra then said, "Then should we ask Her Majesty the Queen or Lord Cenarius for help? Princess Theradras is a demigod, and I'm worried she might attack you."
The daughter of an Earth Elemental Lord, capable of draining life energy from hundreds of kilometers when regaining her power—this clearly indicated a demigod level, no less than Cenarius.
In fact, if you trace their origins, the Earth Elemental Lords are much older than Malorne, at least on the same generation as the Titan Freya.
Malorne was Freya's pet.
This means Princess Theradras is of the same generation as Malorne, two generations higher than Zaetar. A grandmother-grandson romance?
However, if counted from the Moon Goddess Elune, these two are barely of the same generation.
But Malorne and Elune are one or two generations apart—what a mess in high society!
Remulos hesitated: "Father actually disapproved of this marriage. If he knew about this, he would definitely kill Princess Theradras, and I'm worried that would anger the Earth Elemental Lord and cause a major war."
"No need, Princess Theradras isn't that strong."
Kael'thas smiled, "Her strength has only recovered a little, and it was interrupted because of Zaetar. She's been consuming it all these years, and her strength will continue to decline. Remulos can actually handle her himself; I'm just coming along as a precaution."
Nisandra finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, very quickly, her face filled with worry, and she whispered, "Will the King of the Forest also oppose our relationship?"
Remulos smiled, "No, you and I both belong to the Life faction. Her Majesty the Queen is Father's adoptive mother, so our union is a double blessing. He will only be happy for us!"
In the Emerald Dream, Ysera and Cenarius exchanged smiles.
At this moment, Broll Bearmantle, who hadn't had a chance to speak, said, "Lord Remulos, Your Highness, I will go with you."
Lirath Windrunner asked in surprise, "You? If you go, what about your wife?"
"Lord, let him go. The child is only a month old, and I can take care of myself."
A female High Elf walked over, stroking her lower abdomen, radiating maternal glow.
Kael'thas was somewhat numb.
No wonder the three leaders came together; they had all fallen victim!
"Intermarriage between High Elves and Night Elf is beneficial for repairing relations between the two races, especially for a super genius like Broll, who is destined to become a legendary Archdruid."
"Aren't we supposed to send people to Mount Hyjal for defense?"
"The Night Elf there are mainly Priestesses of the Moon and Sentinel armies, all female."
"In that case, let's send unmarried males over there, and also ask the Red Dragon Queen and Green Dragon Queen to give Nordrassil a set of aphrodisiac and fertility-boosting combo moves!"
Kael'thas began to calculate.
"I haven't been to Desolace and can't teleport there. Let's go through the Emerald Dream."
He was still very curious about the Emerald Dream, so this was a good opportunity to see it.
"Follow me."
Remulos led the way, and the three entered the Emerald Dream, traversing through the dream path, and soon left the dream to return to Azeroth.
Kael'thas looked around.
Before them was a very large valley. To the north stood an ancient tree over a hundred meters tall, exuding natural energy second only to the World Tree Sandar Hill.
Beneath the tree was a stone gate covered in runes, and they had emerged from it.
"This is the northern region of Feralas, less than a hundred kilometers from Maraudon," Remulos said.
Kael'thas nodded.
He had guessed it.
Thousands of years ago, Archdruid Fandral Staghelm planted six trees using branches from Nordrassil, located in Ashenvale, Crystalsong Forest, Feralas, Hinterlands, Duskwood, and Grizzly Hills, respectively. This was one of them.
The branch in Grizzly Hills was the thickest and most vital, eventually growing into the World Tree Andrassil. Its roots expanded too far, reaching Yogg-Saron's prison, so it was cut down and became "Vordrassil," meaning "Broken Crown."
The other five were smaller, but still ancient or eternal trees, connected to the Emerald Dream, serving as passages between the two worlds.
"If I remember correctly, the ancient city of Dire Maul is in Feralas—"
Kael'thas looked southeast, keenly sensing a faint fel energy fluctuation, and a new plan quietly formed in his mind.
The three traveled north, crossing mountains and ranges, finally entering the barren Desolace.
Their arrival immediately alerted the land's owners, the Centaur.
"Jungle Guardian! It's that damn Jungle Guardian again, just like the one who broke into the temple three years ago!"
"It even brought Night Elves!"
"Huh, one of them looks different from the other Night Elves. Is he a Night Elf too?"
"I don't know, maybe a deformed one!"
"Don't let them enter Maraudon and disturb our great ancestor!"
"Kill them!"
Over a dozen Centaurs charged forward.
They were all strong and robust, wielding spears or longbows, giving Kael'thas and the others no chance to speak, immediately launching an attack.
A dozen spears and arrows flew towards them.
Most of them targeted the massive Remulos, with a few aiming at the powerfully built Broll Bearmantle.
Only one female Centaur archer half-heartedly shot an arrow at him.
"Deformed one?"
"I'm a deformed one?"
"You Centaurs are the deformed ones!"
"And also, only one person attacked me, and it was the weakest among you. Are you looking down on me?"
Kael'thas never expected that he, a dignified High Elf prince and legendary mage, would be despised by a group of Centaurs with no special abilities. His rage instantly skyrocketed.
"None of you interfere, let me handle this—wait!"
Kael'thas was about to unleash a Dragon's Breath to wipe out all the Centaurs when he suddenly realized something was amiss:
How could he, who was always known for his elegance, become so irritable and prone to anger?
"There's something wrong with this area, a big problem!"
He released his senses and felt a pervasive aura of sorrow, desolation, frenzy, and darkness in the air and soil, affecting every living creature that entered here.
Including him, and including Broll Bearmantle.
The High-ranking Druid's reaction was even worse than his; he immediately cast a mass Entangling Roots, immobilizing the dozen Centaurs.
As for the spears and arrows, they were too slow and posed no threat to beings of their level.
"Such terrifying power, even I was affected?"
Broll Bearmantle only then sobered up, feeling a wave of lingering fear.
Fortunately, he pulled back in time, replacing 'anger' with Entangling Roots, otherwise these Centaurs would already be dead.
He didn't want to slaughter the descendants of Lord Remulos's brother in front of him; it would be difficult to explain.
"The power of nature and Earth Element has been twisted. This land is permeated with the aura of an Ancient God!"
Remulos was filled with surprise and uncertainty.
This place was thousands of kilometers from the Old Gods' prison, so why would there be an Ancient God's aura? This shouldn't be!
"It's Princess Theradras," Kael'thas said.
If he remembered correctly, after Princess Theradras imprisoned Zaetar, she used Zaetar's soul power to continue influencing the Centaurs and the entire Desolace, turning this area into a nest of corruption and suffering.
The sorrow, desolation, frenzy, and darkness here were actually the manifestation of Princess Theradras and Zaetar's emotions.
The Centaurs becoming increasingly violent and warlike must be related to Princess Theradras!
Broll Bearmantle exclaimed in surprise, "Princess Theradras is an Earth Elemental, isn't she? How could she have the aura of an Ancient God on her?"
"That goes back to the era of the ancient Black Empire."
Kael'thas said, "In ancient times, the four Elemental Lords were defeated by the Old Gods and forced to become their servants. It's possible that during that time, Earth Elemental creatures became tainted with the Old Gods' aura. Of course, there's another possibility—"
His expression was strange. "Have you ever considered whose daughter Princess Theradras actually is, besides the Earth Elemental Lord?"
"That... it should be some Earth Elemental Demigod, right?" Remulos was unsure.
Princess Theradras had existed since the Black Empire era, even older than the Titan Guardians.
During that period, Azeroth only had two types of creatures:
One type was the indigenous Elemental creatures of Azeroth.
The other type was the Old Gods and their creations: Faceless Ones and the Aki Insect Race.
To mate with a high-ranking Demigod like an Earth Elemental Lord and give birth to a Demigod-level offspring, the partner must have been a high-ranking Demigod, or even a top-tier Demigod.
And the children of such beings would inevitably inherit some of their parents' abilities.
Princess Theradras showed no abilities related to wind, water, or fire, so her father could not have been the other three Elemental Lords.
Within the Earth Elemental race, apart from the Lord, there were no other high-ranking Demigod-level beings, so Princess Theradras's father was also unlikely to be another Earth Elemental Demigod.
Aside from Earth Element, Princess Theradras only displayed two types of abilities: nature and darkness.
The power of nature came from her absorption of the land's natural energy over fifteen hundred years ago, and from Zaetar's soul.
So, did the power of darkness come from—an Ancient God, or their servants?
"Princess Theradras, is she the daughter of an Ancient God or some Faceless One general?"
Remulos was startled by his own speculation.
"Elemental Lords are high-ranking Demigod-level beings. Although their power is not as great as the Old Gods, it's not too far off. And as pure Elemental creatures, wielding elemental authority, it's unlikely they would be corrupted by the Old Gods like Deathwing!"
"Although Earth Elemental Lord Therazane has the least renown among the four Lords, her strength is very likely the greatest. Not even Deathwing could do anything to her, so she is the least likely to be corrupted!"
"It's highly unlikely that she has the power of an Ancient God within her, and thus couldn't pass it on to Princess Theradras!"
"Her power of darkness must come from her father!"
"Although Therazane was forced to side with the Old Gods, she was not a servant but a subordinate officer, with a higher status than a Faceless One general. Her mate could very well be an Ancient God!"
"Princess Theradras, is she the daughter of an Ancient God?"
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
"That's right!"
"Elements all have two sides. The positive trait of Earth Element is perseverance, and the negative trait is stubbornness, unrelated to tyranny."
"Earth Elemental Lords are known for being gentle and peaceful, yet her daughter is so tyrannical. She must take after her father, an Ancient God. This is further proof!"
Remulos trembled with excitement. "I seem to have discovered a huge secret!"
And this secret was discovered with Kael'thas's inspiration. He quickly looked at Kael'thas, his eyes full of gratitude.
"Don't look at me with that expression. You said that; it has nothing to do with me!" Kael'thas quickly shifted the blame.
The power of a high-ranking Demigod covers the entire world, and Desolace is Princess Theradras's territory.
Who knows if the Earth Elemental Lord is constantly watching her daughter, or if she has the ability to 'perceive all who utter her name.' It's better not to speculate wildly.
Remulos, however, was different and continued to ponder, "There's a conspiracy, there must be a conspiracy!"
"Huh?"
Kael'thas's thoughts couldn't keep up. How did this turn into a conspiracy now?
Cenarius's son, could he be a conspiracy theorist?
"Theradras is the daughter of the Old Gods. Her initiative appearance to seduce Zaetar must have been a conspiracy!"
"The Old Gods must be using Theradras to corrupt Zaetar, thereby corrupting the Emerald Dream, and then corrupting the entire world!" Remulos stated emphatically.
Beside him, Broll Bearmantle was utterly stunned.
How did a perfectly tragic story turn into a conspiracy theory?
"Zaetar is a guardian of nature. How could he fall in love with an elemental creature? He must have been influenced by the power of the Old Gods, his mind twisted!"
The more Remulos thought about it, the angrier he became. He suddenly reared up on his front hooves and stomped the ground, causing the earth to shake: "His aesthetic sense has been twisted!"
Kael'thas truly didn't know what to say.
His claim that Princess Theradras was connected to the Old Gods had some merit, was supported by evidence, and was based on theory and facts.
Remulos, however, was just guessing. They really were in love!
In the Emerald Dream, Cenarius looked at Ysera: "Mother, is Princess Theradras really the daughter of the Old Gods? C'Thun or Yogg-Saron? Or N'Zoth, Y'Shaarj?"
"How should I know?" Ysera lay gracefully, shaking her head.
During the period of the ancient Dark Empire, let alone her, her grandmother's grandmother hadn't even been born yet.
Even proto-dragons didn't exist; the Dragonflights were merely elemental dragons under the command of the Elemental Lords!
She was also very curious whether the Earth Elemental Lord truly had a relationship with the Old Gods—
"Cenarius, are you going to intervene? Zaetar is your son, after all."
Ysera couldn't quite fathom the King of the Forest's thoughts. A mother knows her son best, but she was only his foster mother.
"Forget it. Zaetar didn't want me to know about this, so I'll pretend not to know."
"Besides, I also want to see if Theradras seducing Zaetar is truly a conspiracy of the Old Gods!"
Cenarius said.
Ysera nodded, her expression solemn: "Although there's no evidence, it's not impossible. The Old Gods are capable of anything!"
They could corrupt and manipulate even Deathwing and Azshara; manipulating a mere Earth Elemental princess would be child's play.
At this moment, many more Centaur rushed over.
Desolace was primarily plains, with an open view.
The massive Remulos was too conspicuous, attracting hundreds of Centaur.
"Let's go quickly. If we delay any longer, all the Centaur in Desolace will be here!" Kael'thas said.
The Centaur's reproductive capacity was similar to humans, their physique far surpassed humans, the rate of difficult births was very low, and their reproductive speed was extremely fast.
Although they only had a history of 1,500 years, their population had already reached the tens of thousands.
If they all swarmed them, even a demigod would fall.
"Then what are we waiting for? Run!"
Remulos sprinted, much faster than the quickest leopard, and the Centaur couldn't keep up at all.
Broll transformed into a Storm Crow, soaring above Remulos, with Kael'thas riding a phoenix beside him.
They traveled at over 200 kilometers per hour, reaching Maraudon in less than half an hour.
This Earth Elemental temple was built into the mountain, guarded by several elite Centaur, but they were no match for the trio and were quickly defeated.
"I sensed a legendary-level energy fluctuation—no, two, deep within the mountain!"
Remulos was incredibly excited.
Because one of them was very familiar to him, belonging to his brother Zaetar.
"Let's go in quickly!" He was impatient.
Broll Bearmantle soared in the sky.
His vision was excellent; he could see dozens of kilometers away.
He saw Centaur rushing from all directions, dense and numerous, like a surging tide, numbering in the tens of thousands.
"Oh no, we're surrounded!"
So many Centaur were not something the three of them could handle; even Lord Cenarius would fall.
Remulos pointed to the temple entrance and said, "We'll go in now, kill Theradras, rescue Zaetar, and then teleport away!"
At this moment, he was immensely glad he had brought Kael'thas.
"Don't rush."
Kael'thas said, "Maraudon is full of Theradras's minions. We must eliminate them first so they don't interfere with our rescue of Zaetar."
He pulled out two maps and handed them to Remulos and Broll Bearmantle.
"So complicated?"
Remulos felt dizzy looking at it.
This was a topographical map of Maraudon, full of winding paths. At a glance, there were at least a dozen caves and dozens of passages, too complex, and with two entrances/exits.
"So many?"
Broll Bearmantle, however, was drawn to the dense red dots on the map.
The red dots represented Princess Theradras's minions, with numbers beside them indicating their quantity.
These minions combined must number several hundred!
"This won't be easy to fight!" He frowned, feeling it was incredibly tricky.
Even with two legendary-level powerhouses, eliminating several hundred elite-level creatures in a complex environment would take at least half a day.
In half a day, who knew how many Centaur would have arrived!
The Centaur also had spellcasters; if there were enough of them, they could seal off all of Maraudon. If the teleportation failed then, wouldn't they be doomed?
Even if they couldn't seal it off, the Centaur might enter Maraudon to hunt them. Would they still have time to rescue Zaetar?
Difficult, difficult, difficult!
"We'll split into two groups!"
Kael'thas was confident: "Remulos, Broll, you two go in through this entrance. I'll go in through the other entrance, and then destroy the passages so the Centaur can't get in!"
Broll Bearmantle quickly asked, "But then we can't get out either! What if the Centaur use magic to seal off this area?"
"The Centaur don't have legendary-level spellcasters, and there are only a few master-level ones. They can't stop my teleportation!"
Kael'thas was full of confidence.
In this world, there weren't many powers that could stop a legendary mage's teleportation, and the Centaur weren't qualified.
"Furthermore, why should we kill Princess Theradras? We can persuade her, purify her!"
"The Centaur listen to her. As long as she stands with us, the Centaur won't do anything to us!"
In fact, Princess Theradras had no ill intentions; there was a reason for imprisoning Zaetar's soul.
As long as Zaetar's soul was rescued, he was confident he could win over Princess Theradras, which was one of his original goals for coming here.
"If all else fails, we can also ask the Green Dragon Queen and the King of the Forest for help!" Kael'thas said.
Ysera and the Wild Gods were fully capable of moving freely between the Emerald Dream and Azeroth without needing to use a Dream Portal—more precisely, they could open Dream Portals on their own without needing to go through the World Tree or the Ancient Tree.
Broll Bearmantle breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "But even if we destroy the entrance, it won't hold off the Centaur for long. Can we eliminate all of Theradras's minions and rescue Lord Zaetar?"
"Killing them one by one, of course, isn't an option. So, we need to attract as much aggro from Theradras's minions as possible, lead them to Princess Theradras, and then use area-of-effect attacks to wipe them out together," Kael'thas said.
Broll Bearmantle was stunned: "Can we really do that?"
Remulos, who had learned about the Dragon King's reward to Kael'thas from Cenarius, said in a deep voice:
"Yes!"
"However, Kael'thas, if you use that move, it means you cannot use the power of the Dragon Soul before reaching the deepest part of Maraudon. Your energy level will still be low-tier legendary!"
"I am a high-tier legendary; my strength is greater than yours!"
"I'll go alone; you and Broll form a team!"
He charged forward, crashing through the gate like a heavy tank and rushing inside.
Broll Bearmantle was instantly bewildered, not knowing whom to listen to.
Both were big bosses, neither could be offended!
"Can an energy level represent true strength? Besides, having carried through Maraudon so many times, I understand this temple much better than you—"
Kael'thas shook his head and said, "Follow me."
He led Broll Bearmantle to another entrance, cast a spell to blow it up after entering.
A large amount of rubble fell, blocking the entrance.
"That should buy us an hour or two; it's enough."
"Stay close to me!"
"Although Theradras's minions aren't very strong, they are disgusting. Don't let them touch you!"
Kael'thas, protected by a Mana Shield, rushed into a passage filled with orange crystals and soon arrived at the Foulspore Cavern.
As far as the eye could see, there were poisonous creatures everywhere, mostly Noxious Whelps.
These were dark red worms, about one meter long and thirty centimeters in diameter, leaving trails of green venom wherever they crawled.
As for how potent the venom was, Kael'thas didn't know and didn't want to know.
"What is this?"
"Isn't Maraudon an Earth Elemental temple? Aren't all the creatures here Theradras's minions?"
"Why is this place filled with dense natural energy and these natural creatures, instead of Earth Elemental creatures?"
Broll followed behind, realizing that the internal situation of Maraudon was completely different from what he had expected.
He had originally thought this place should be filled with Earth Elementals, Rock Elementals, Sand Elementals, or Stone Giants.
Upon entering, he saw so many crystals, leading him to believe this should be a world overflowing with Earth Elemental energy.
But he never expected the density of natural energy here to be far higher than that of Earth Elementals.
"You can call these bugs 'Noxious Whelps'."
"This is indeed an Earth Elemental temple, but Zaetar's soul is imprisoned here. He is a legendary Jungle Guardian, so of course, there will be dense natural energy wherever he is."
"Princess Theradras used Zaetar's soul to breed these natural creatures, so of course, they are her minions!"
"As for Earth Elemental creatures, there are plenty of them deep within the temple!"
Kael'thas replied quickly.
"Flame Strike!"
He raised his hand and cast a large-area fire spell, covering a wide area and burning many worms, but also enraging their kin.
These worms crawled over, arching their bodies, and surprisingly, they were quite fast!
Kael'thas, of course, wouldn't waste time in such a place.
He blinked to the other side of Foulspore Cavern, weaving through the gaps between the worms, passing through a long passage, and arriving at the Toxic Spore Cave, finally encountering the first boss: Noxxion.
It was a rare water elemental, about three meters tall, completely green, its body clearly composed of toxic water.
"A water elemental? How can there be a water elemental here?"
"Lord Zaetar and Princess Theradras shouldn't be able to create water elementals, right?"
Broll Bearmantle transformed into a curious baby, filled with wonder at everything he saw, because the situation in Maraudon exceeded his understanding.
Young people are so eager to learn!
"Because Maraudon has more than two sentient beings; there is another entity not inferior to you, and it created this monster!"
Kael'thas used a Blink spell to avoid the rare water elemental's toxic arrow rain and continued deeper, seeing a large number of animated humanoid plants—Whipper Brutes—at the end of the passage.
"Your Highness, were these Whipper Brutes created by Princess Theradras using Lord Zaetar's soul energy?"
As a druid, Broll Bearmantle was not unfamiliar with Whipper Brutes.
Many chaotic natural areas would give birth to such creatures.
They had little sentience, weren't considered intelligent beings, and only possessed the instinct to perceive and attack living things, somewhat like walking carnivorous plants.
Most Whipper Brutes were weak, easily handled by low-tier druids.
However, there was one that was quite powerful, noticeably larger than the other Whipper Brutes by several sizes, with tentacles as hard as iron, and swift, powerful movements, stronger than any of its kind he had ever seen.
It was Maraudon's second boss: Celebras the Cursed!
"No, it was also created by that entity not inferior to you!"
Kael'thas used a Dragon's Breath to attract the aggro of all Whipper Brutes, then turned and ran.
Broll Bearmantle quickly followed.
As he ran, he asked, "Your Highness, who exactly is that entity you speak of?"
The two passed through the passage and entered a wide underground cavern.
From above, sickly green toxic water continuously poured down, forming waterfalls.
The cavern was filled with Toxic Slimes.
Just then, Remulos entered the cavern from another passage, followed by hundreds of corrupted creatures, the most noticeable being a group of Satyr.
One of the Satyr was purple and blue, exuding strong arcane, fel, and shadow energies.
It was even taller than Broll Bearmantle, wielded twin blades, and suddenly vanished into thin air, reappearing behind Broll Bearmantle.
It could also use the Blink spell!
Broll Bearmantle hastily dodged, avoiding the fatal blow, then shifted into bear form, forcing the Satyr back with a slap, breaking out in a cold sweat.
If that attack had hit, he would have been severely wounded if not dead!
"Your Highness, you actually said this Satyr is not inferior to me?"
"You think too highly of me; its energy level is that of an Archdruid!"
Broll Bearmantle complained silently.
"That's him, Satyr Lord Vilebranch!"
"He was drawn here by the corrupting power of Maraudon."
"The reason he created water elementals and Whipper Brutes was to serve as Theradras's servants and pets, to alleviate boredom, and thereby please that illustrious Earth Elemental princess!"
"Follow me!"
Kael'thas used spells like Cone of Cold and Frost Nova to slow down Theradras's minions, then continued to blink and advance, soon seeing dozens of corrupted treants and a Jungle Guardian.
It was two sizes smaller than Remulos, with a very similar appearance, but looked younger, more handsome, and more melancholic.
It was filled with Shadow energy, exuding the aura of the Old Gods!
"Celebras?"
"Weren't you always in Ashenvale? How did you end up here?"
Remulos was both surprised and angry; Celebras was his most outstanding son, a high-tier druid.
He was the guardian of Ashenvale; instead of guarding the forest there, he ran here and was even corrupted!
At this moment, Celebras's mind was clearly twisted, as he attacked his own father.
However, he was no match for the legendary Jungle Guardian; after just one move, he was entangled by roots and unable to move.
"Smack!"
Remulos knocked Celebras unconscious, intending to take him back and ask the Priestesses of the Moon for help with purification.
Carrying Celebras, he, Kael'thas, and Broll continued deeper, arriving at the Land's End Waterfall, where they saw many Hydras and Twin-Headed Dragons.
Hydras were actually multi-headed snakes, descendants of the Loa god Gahz'rilla.
Twin-Headed Dragons were lizards, descendants of the Loa god Akunda.
They were drawn here by Maraudon's natural energy, arriving via an underground river, and were not actually Theradras's minions.
However, Kael'thas didn't care about that.
Anyway, it was all about grinding monsters, and grinding a few more wouldn't hurt, especially since he didn't get along with the loa gods.
They arrived at another area.
This place was filled with elemental creatures called "Primeval Beasts," which were actually Stone Giants, the true masters of Maraudon's underground areas.
Princess Theradras was the newcomer.
The leader of the Stone Giants was named "Landslide," nearly ten meters tall, composed entirely of crystal, clear and translucent, the kind where a single piece could sell for hundreds of gold coins.
It was the King of Maraudon.
It carved the passages, dug the caverns, cultivated the crystals, and created the waterfalls.
However, after Princess Theradras arrived, it was captivated by her beauty and submitted to Princess Theradras's stone skirts.
Even though Princess Theradras was not interested in it, even though its beloved brought her beloved to its home, occupied its lair, slept in its bed, and gave birth to the Centaur in front of it, it had no complaints.
It still deeply loved Princess Theradras, faithfully serving as a guard, watching over the entrance for a thousand years.
It watched as the Centaur rushed into the lair and killed its romantic rival.
Although it was still not allowed to enter the lair, not recognized, and could only listen to Princess Theradras's whispers to Zaetar's soul from outside, it was truly content.
The love of elementals, you mortals do not understand!
Kael'thas felt great sympathy for this pathetic thousand-year-old simp and planned to spare its life, bypassing it to head straight for Theradras's lair, which was Zaetar's tomb.
However, the simp was not pleased.
It was usually not allowed to enter the lair, but now that its beloved princess was in danger, how could it stand by?
It immediately led the Stone Giants in pursuit.
Kael'thas, Remulos, and Broll Bearmantle, with a massive army of monsters, arrived at the deepest underground lake in Maraudon.
In the middle of the lake was an isolated island.
On the island was a raised tomb, with a pair of giant antlers stuck into it, exuding legendary levels of natural and soul energy.
A bloated stone giant stood before the tomb, facing the antlers, with its back to everyone.