Twisting Nether

The Voidstorm, this area, was one of the most severely damaged areas when Draenor shattered. It's a barren wasteland where the harsh natural environment is no longer suitable for any species to survive. However, the ethereals possess a cutting-edge ecosystem dome technology that can create a massive barrier. The enclosed area will be isolated from all external interference and destruction, allowing the flora and fauna inside to fully recover.

In theory, if an ecosystem dome could encompass the entire world, Outland could "live" again.

After landing here, the Consortium established an ecosystem dome on a high mountain in the center of the Voidstorm to provide themselves with a habitat. They named it Stormspire.

Now, the area covered by the ecosystem dome near Stormspire is no longer limited to the treacherous mountaintop; it has long since expanded significantly.

The ethereals quietly transplanted and migrated some trees, flowers, grasses, and animals from Nagrand, Zangar Marsh, and other areas with relatively well-preserved ecosystems into the dome, transforming it into a paradise.

The ethereals discovered that this world also held potential for huge business opportunities, but before they could formally develop Outland, the Burning Legion suddenly descended on a large scale from the north of Stormspire. Within just a few hours, the demons' vanguard arrived here.

Upon discovering the ecosystem dome, they immediately launched an attack without hesitation. Polluting the ecological environment, destroying order, and killing non-demon creatures is the consistent principle of the Burning Legion.

Even though the ethereals are technologically advanced, their numbers are small. As the demons arrived in an endless stream, they had no choice but to prepare to abandon the area below the Spire.

When Malzael arrived at the ecosystem dome with the pit lord's legion, the ethereals were already in retreat. He saw that these creatures wrapped in bandages were actually very powerful in combat, but their numbers were simply too small, leading them to be at a disadvantage when facing the endless onslaught of demons.

Malzael felt this was a good opportunity to escape from the Burning Legion. So, he "bravely and fearlessly" charged towards the area with the most ethereal hunters, even disregarding the demons behind him who hadn't caught up yet. The result was obvious: the ethereal hunters easily killed this rash eredar warlock.

The legion commander cursed him as a fool, then roared loudly, "Attack, attack! Destroy them!"

Malzael secretly dispelled his demonic disguise and transformed back into an ethereal – which was easy, as their attire was quite similar, both wearing robes and floating in the air. Then, he followed the ethereal hunters into the elevator.

To better facilitate defense, the ethereals abandoned all areas at the foot of the mountain and destroyed the elevators leading to the summit, preparing to focus on defending the Spire area. This decision greatly reduced the pressure on the ethereals, as they only had to face flying demons.

And now, the number of flying demons was small, unable to form a numerical advantage, so the legion commander in charge of the attack could only suspend the attack and wait for more reinforcements to arrive.

Because of this, the ethereals had the opportunity to consult their boss, Nexus-Prince Haramad, to ask whether they should retreat or wait for reinforcements.

After hearing the ethereals exchange a few words, Malzael realized that these energy beings were not native to Outland, and were clearly not the people he was looking for.

He was already secretly planning his retreat.

At this moment, they passed a circular door, and an ethereal hunter suddenly pointed the weapon in his hand at him, questioning, "You are not an ethereal, who are you? Speak, what is your purpose? Are you a demon spy?"

Instantly, the other ethereal warriors surrounded Malzael.

"I am indeed not an ethereal, but I am not a demon either," Malzael dispelled his disguise. He hadn't expected that the demons of the Burning Legion hadn't noticed anything unusual about him for months, but these ethereals recognized him in just a short while.

Because the arched door he had just passed through could identify friend from foe. Malzael certainly didn't expect that such a thing existed, so he was immediately identified by the machine.

Malzael briefly explained his origins.

The ethereal hunter who discovered him was still suspicious, "You say you came to Outland to find your commander? Is he a native here? You came from the Twisting Nether?"

"Yes."

"How can we believe you're not lying?"

"I can take you to see the commander."

"But why should we go see him?"

"Because you are in trouble now," Malzael said meaningfully.

He was right, these Consortium ethereals were indeed in trouble.

"Alright, we can temporarily believe your words," the leading ethereal hunter lowered his weapon, "My name is Olosu, the ethereal hunter captain of the Consortium."

"I am the Void Seer, Malzael."

"However, I will take you to see Nexus-Prince, only he can decide your life and death!"

Olosu instructed the other warriors to take Malzael to the room where Nexus-Prince was.

The hunter captain brought Malzael in front of a crystal platform. After he activated the holographic projection communication device, a ethereal holding a staff immediately appeared on the crystal platform.

Olosu said loudly: "Nexus-Prince, we are under attack by the Burning Legion! What should we do?"

"The Burning Legion?" The illusion came from the leader of the Consortium, Nexus-Prince Haramad. He was not in Outland, and the news reported by his subordinates shocked him. "Why would these demons attack us? I don't remember offending them."

"We don't know either. They appeared from the north of our base and launched an attack as soon as they discovered our ecosystem dome. We haven't even seen these demons before!" Olosu obviously didn't know why either.

The ethereals' footprints are all over countless planets and civilizations, but they have no interaction with the Burning Legion. They have only heard of the existence of such a group of demons in the Twisting Nether.

Haramad also didn't remember ever having any transactions with the Burning Legion, let alone cheating them out of money or maliciously breaching contracts.

"Have someone go and communicate with them to see if there is any misunderstanding," Haramad instructed. He didn't want to make another enemy for no reason, although he already had many enemies, but obviously, they didn't include the infamous Burning Legion for the time being.

Olosu was about to send someone to carry out the order when Malzael suddenly said, "If I were you, I wouldn't let my men die in vain!"

"Hmm? Who are you?" Haramad noticed this guy whose attire was different from the ethereals. Obviously, this was not an energy being like the ethereals, but a flesh and blood creature.

Olosu hurriedly recounted what had just happened.

"Then why are you so sure?" Haramad asked, staring at this person.

Malzael said, "Because the demons of the Burning Legion will not give you a chance to negotiate. Their purpose is destruction, and nothing else can satisfy them. I mingled with them for a while and know their habits very well."

"But how can I believe that your actions are not intended to sabotage our negotiations with the Burning Legion?" Haramad questioned.

"It's very simple, an experiment can prove it."

The experimental results proved that Malzael was the correct one. The ethereals created a holographic projection to approach the demons, claiming to be there for negotiations. But the pit lord gave them two choices: surrender or destruction.

Haramad was very disappointed. His Consortium had plenty of money. If money and treasures could allow him to protect his property in Stormspire, he would do so, but the demons didn't give him that opportunity.

---

Previously, because of the hatred between the orcs and the draenei, there was something that Prophet Velen had not completed for centuries that now had the opportunity to be completed:

More than 20,000 years ago, when Sargeras found the planet Argus, it was a naaru named K'ure who notified Prophet Velen and used his ship to carry the eredar who were unwilling to fall into depravity to evacuate. Later, when escaping to Draenor, the damaged ship had to make a forced landing, one of the naaru died on the spot, and K'ure was also seriously injured and unable to leave the ship.

Prophet Velen had no choice but to leave the ship with his people and find a foothold in this new world.

But what he didn't expect was that when they came back, this crashed ship had become the "holy mountain" of the native orcs of Draenor.

K'ure's radiant light attracted the souls of the dead orcs, and these ancestral spirits would sometimes enter the orcs' dreams and communicate with them. The orcs were thus inspired and created the primitive shamanism.

So they regarded this giant crystal that fell from the sky as the place where the souls of their ancestors returned, and named it Oshu'gun, which means "Mountain of Souls" in the orcish language, and strictly protected it, not allowing anyone to destroy it.

For hundreds of years, the severely wounded K'ure has been surviving on the nourishment of the Orcish ancestral spirits, constantly calling for Prophet Velen to save him. However, aside from a direct assault, the Prophet had no way to enter the wreckage of the ship. Even speaking the truth would be considered a blasphemy against the Orcish shamanistic faith.

What was even more unimaginable was that, hundreds of years later, the Orcs launched a massacre against the Draenei, creating a deep-seated hatred between the two races. This made it even more impossible for Prophet Velen to approach Oshu'gun.

And after that, because Gul'dan used a cursed cipher to sever the connection between the Orcish shamans and the elements, K'ure could no longer receive the nourishment of shamanic power. He was now truly on the verge of death—and for the Naaru, after their Holy Light power is exhausted, they will collapse into pure shadow creatures—Entropic Demons! That is, a darkened Naaru.

This also perfectly aligns with the theory that "the extreme of light is darkness."

Aiden and Prophet Velen, along with others, rode a fast-flying small sub-vessel ahead of the main fleet.

The wreckage of K'ure's ship was much smaller than Tempest Keep. It stood quietly on the cyan grassland, with pale pink crystals reflecting a pure light.

A Naaru named M'uru was also with them. Aiden remembered that, in the original timeline, the Blood Elf prince ambushed Tempest Keep and captured him, sending him to Silvermoon City to have his Holy Light power extracted, thus creating the "Blood Knights." However, among the Naaru led by A'dal, M'uru was second only to A'dal in strength and power.

As they stood at the entrance, everyone heard faint sounds coming from the depths of the wreckage. This was K'ure's voice directly conveyed into their minds, filled with his pain and sorrow.

Since the Orcs crossed the Dark Portal on their expedition, no Orcs had come here to worship.

Prophet Velen was filled with guilt. He lowered his head and strode into the deep passage. Aiden and the others followed closely behind, and eventually they arrived in a circular chamber.

M'uru emitted light, illuminating the place brightly. Then, a dimly lit, light purple Naaru appeared from the dome.

Unlike the other Naaru Aiden had seen, who were full of light and warmth, this light purple Naaru had almost lost all heat, giving people the feeling of an old man on the verge of death.

When Prophet Velen saw him, tears streamed down his face. He leaned on his staff, knelt on one knee, and said in a trembling and hoarse voice, "I... I'm late. I'm sorry, K'ure."

K'ure also conveyed a sad thought; he was indeed about to die.

"Let me help you!" M'uru's body bloomed with intense Holy Light, enveloping K'ure. This pure power shone on him, causing the purple marks on K'ure's body to fade slightly.

He seemed to be healing.

Aiden felt he should do something. He also summoned the power of the Holy Light and shone it on K'ure. Then came Kayle and Prophet Velen. Perhaps their Holy Light power was insignificant compared to the power emitted by M'uru, but they could still contribute.

Just as they were working together to heal K'ure, all the Orcish ancestral spirits near Oshu'gun sensed this warm power that they had once been so familiar with. After being plunged into terror since the Fel energy polluted the land, they finally felt the long-lost joy and exhilaration.

These souls floated here from all directions, laughing and singing in the Holy Light, and then completely sublimated.

Garadar's Grandmother Geyah almost immediately sensed the awakening of the ancestral spirits. She was taking a nap, a habit she had developed over the years as an old shaman. Just as druids can enter the Emerald Dream in their sleep, the original Orcish shamans communicated with the ancestral spirits through dreams.

After "that incident" happened, Grandmother Geyah, and all Orcish shamans, found that the ancestral spirits in their dreams despised them, distanced themselves from them, and showed great fear and unease, no longer communicating with any shamans. Until today, they had not sensed the power of the ancestral spirits again.

Grandmother Geyah even thought that after the Orcs were corrupted by Fel energy, the ancestral spirits had disappeared or left forever. Even though the Mag'har Orc shamans, who had maintained their bloodline, had gradually restored their connection with the elemental spirits through years of effort and could use some shamanic spells, the ancestral spirits still did not respond to them again.

But at this moment, Grandmother Geyah woke up in surprise.

"The ancestral spirits have responded!"

"Our tradition has returned!"

She grabbed the young Aggra and said almost incoherently.

"Grandmother Geyah, is this true?" Aggra asked in disbelief. She was also a shaman, but she had never come into contact with the power of the ancestral spirits. Many young shamans thought they would never sense the ancestral spirits that the older generation of shamans missed and guided them, but they never thought that Grandmother Geyah would sense them again today.

"It's true, it's true!" Grandmother Geyah was ecstatic. She leaned on her crutch and walked almost as fast as when she was young, her face radiant and full of vitality. "Go, we're going to Oshu'gun Holy Mountain! Quick, let's go now!"

When she came out, she ran into Varok Saurfang, who had come to find Grandmother Geyah. Seeing that she was already awake and seemed to be in a good mood, he stopped her and said, "Grandmother Geyah, I have an important message to tell you! The Burning Legion is showing signs of unusual activity, and all the Orcs may have to evacuate!"

Grandmother Geyah's face suddenly lengthened, and she scolded, "I can't take care of that now. I'm going to the Holy Mountain! Only if the ancestral spirits agree with your opinion will I agree!"

After saying that, the old lady strode towards the convoy. She was going to Oshu'gun Holy Mountain immediately!

----

On the Azeroth side.

The recent changes in the situation at the Dark Portal have caught everyone off guard. Tens of thousands of demons are leaving Azeroth through this gate, heading to Outland. Many people who don't know the truth think this is good news—the demons are leaving on their own, and some even started celebrating.

But those who truly understand would never think that way.

The city of Everlight landed in the Blasted Lands yesterday. The immigrants in the city arrived at their destination after more than forty days of drifting. When the floating city was flying, they were always worried about demons suddenly attacking, but now they can finally stand safely on the land. Although the Blasted Lands are still a barren red land, they believe that one day, this place will become a new paradise.

The Night Elf delegation led by Broll Bearmantle also arrived in the new city two days ago. They had received news here about the An'oomuron delegation, guessing that the druid had been ambushed by demons on his way back. Bearmantle originally planned to return, but upon hearing that the leaders of the Alliance were about to hold a conference, Bearmantle sent someone back to Mount Hyjal to report the news, while he stayed behind himself because he felt he should represent the Night Elves at this meeting.

All the forces of the New and Old Alliance sent representatives to participate, and new faces also appeared—Cairne Bloodhoof, chieftain of Thunder Bluff, Vol'jin, leader of the Darkspear trolls from the Echo Isles, and Broll Bearmantle, the Archdruid of Mount Hyjal.

Even Archmage Antonidas came here from Dalaran, which was suspended in the sky above the Plaguelands.

He came out first to tell everyone about the current changes in the Burning Legion.

"Half of the demons of the Burning Legion have already passed through the Dark Portal. Archimonde has now entered the Plaguelands, and in two days at most, he will reach Outland," Antonidas said. "That's the situation."

"Did all the demons follow Archimonde to the Dark Portal?" Admiral Daelin Proudmoore asked. He had arrived in Theramore by ship and hadn't received the latest information for more than a month. He had only been notified to take an airship here to discuss important matters two days after arriving.

"It seems so for now."

"Then when should we send troops?" Muradin Bronzebeard's loud voice rang out. He had heard that Valoran's leader, Aiden, was trapped in Outland. As a former ally who had fought side by side, he believed that the topic of this meeting was how to rescue those trapped in Outland. Not only Aiden, but also those Alliance elites who had gone on expeditions more than a decade ago.

Swain replied, "We plan to enter after Archimonde passes through the Dark Portal."

"Objection!" A voice suddenly rang out in the conference room. Everyone looked over, and it was Prince Tandred Proudmoore of Kul Tiras.

He said loudly, "I think this is a good opportunity, a good opportunity to eliminate the threat of the Burning Legion without having to make a lot of sacrifices—why don't we destroy the Dark Portal?"