The area where Kurluk was sealed is located east of the Dread Wastes, near the Serpent's Spine.
This land once belonged to Grand Warlord Ger'shan of the mogu clan. In ancient times, Kurluk was chosen as an elite warrior for killing a large number of mogu warriors.
His heroism was our enemy. Kurluk's awakening alarmed the souls of the dead mogu around him. They discovered that the Wind Reaver was in a weakened state and launched a direct revenge attack.
Unfortunately, Vik'nilar was able to return in time, and Kurluk was spared.
Vik'nilar's power finally attracted the attention of Wind Reaver Kurluk. After eliminating the ghosts who sought revenge, he decided to take this fellow mantid back to Klaxxi'vess to introduce him to the elders.
The Klaxxi'va Council is a mantid organization with a very ancient history, originating from a priestly group that worshiped Y'shaarj. Therefore, in the ancient mantid language, Klaxxi'va represents "priest."
Even though the Klaxxi'va are intelligent and powerful, their numbers are quite small. Therefore, in addition to making great contributions, possessing great strength can also make one an elite warrior. After all, no race or force can refuse the addition of a strong individual, especially one of their own race.
Vik'nilar, whom the elite warrior Kurluk had already recognized, was already an elite warrior candidate. To this end, the Wind Reaver, according to the tradition of the Klaxxi'va Council, gave this young fellow mantid a second name: Awakener.
As the name implies, Vik'nilar is the one who awakens the elite warriors, while Kurluk's title of Wind Reaver was earned in battles with the mogu, because he imitated eagles preying from the sky, launching deadly attacks from above and killing a large number of enemies.
"Awakener Kaz'tik, you say that a great change has occurred in the mantid empire, and the mantid are killing each other?"
On the way back to the council, Kurluk, who had been asleep for ten thousand years, heard this bad news, which made him even more anxious.
"Wind Reaver, I would prefer that you call me Void Reaver, I like that name better. Also, this information is absolutely accurate. The mantid of the Kor'thik Hive and my hometown, the Sik'thik Hive, are all dead!"
"Alright, alright, Void Reaver Kaz'tik, let's hurry back to the council then." Kurluk's heart had already flown away. After all, it's hard for anyone to be in a good mood when they encounter such a disturbing thing as mantid killing each other right after waking up.
Ten thousand years ago, he knew that the empress's faction and the council elders had hidden contradictions. Kurluk was also mentally prepared for this kind of internal war.
"Hopefully the council has already started investigating this matter, and the situation may not be so bad!" The Wind Reaver could only comfort himself in his heart.
The mantid elder council is in charge of the history and culture of the mantid. Their goals are much longer-term than the empress. They try their best to assist the empress and avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Unfortunately, if Galen hadn't released the Sha of Fear, then the council and the empress's two factions might have continued to maintain a balance.
But now most of the mantid have been firmly controlled by corruption and madness. The empress has also lost her mind. If the corruption continues to deepen, the sha will seize everything from the mantid civilization. These unaffected elder councils can only choose to replace the fallen Grand Empress.
It can only be said that the mantid empire is unlucky to have been targeted by Galen.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Turning to another topic, the scene on Galen's side is much more tragic than that on Vik'nilar's side.
After being beaten into a cripple by Galen, the Sha of Fear fled to the Dread Wastes in the south. He directly entered the mantid empress's lair, the Heart of Fear, and controlled the contemporary mantid empress, Shek'zeer.
The sha's corruption has twisted the kypari tree, the Vir'kyss, into a terrifying totem. The nearby insect hives are constantly hatching those corrupted offspring, and then launching a full-scale attack in the direction of the Serpent's Spine!
Galen is currently in Dawn's Blossom.
"Niuzao!"
It was a pandaren sharpshooter, also the best scout on the Serpent's Spine. He ran panting, slowing down as he approached the yak-like August Celestial, while adjusting his breathing.
He respectfully recounted the information he had scouted: "Niuzao, I was investigating the mantid's movements at the Terrace of Gurthan when I discovered two mantid fighting in the ruins, constantly attacking each other with powerful magic."
"One of them looks different from all the mantid I've ever seen. The color and clothes are completely different, like some kind of diviner. The other one is completely crazy. He's like a cask of Stormstout Brew, splashing sha energy everywhere!"
Niuzao wasn't too surprised. He nodded to show he knew, and then told the sharpshooter Lan to go back and rest.
"Your plan has succeeded, Galen!"
"Obviously, my friend." Galen was so calm, he wished he had a feather fan in his hand at this moment.
"I'm afraid we'll soon be facing the first wave of the mantid army!"
Galen thought for a while, turned his head and told the August Celestial: "Niuzao, immediately notify the Valley of the Four Winds, plus the defenses of Stoneplow, I guess the mantid empress won't necessarily only choose to attack Dawn's Blossom!"
For ten thousand years, Dawn's Blossom has been the main attack direction of the mantid. The reason is very simple. Behind Dawn's Blossom is the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, where an amazing thing is buried.
However, in the original timeline, the mantid divided their forces into two groups, one attacking Dawn's Blossom, and the other breaking through a section of the Valley of the Four Winds' city wall, and then invading the nearest pandaren settlement, Stoneplow.
As Galen's thoughts drifted, he sensed the approach of an evil force!
"They're coming!"
Looking at the gloomy and dim sky in the west, Galen murmured.
The tall tauren Niuzao immediately became alert when he heard this, and turned to a group of armored pandaren behind him and said: "Immediately sound the alarm and prepare for battle!"
"Yes, sir! Niuzao!"
The leading armored pandaren general raised his warblade and left with his men!
"Clang clang clang!"
A series of ear-piercing and urgent alarm bells rang on the walls of the Serpent's Spine, and then blue smoke rose from the long defense line.
At the same time, a group of elite pandaren warriors rushed out of the towers. They quickly entered their defense zones, vigilantly staring in the direction of the Dread Wastes.
In the gray sky, there was a layer of black halo floating, and the whole sky was filled with the strange sound of flapping wings.
Those were the fierce mantid Kor'thik vanguard!
The cycle of war, which originally occurred once every hundred years, has begun ahead of schedule!
The mantid are coming.
The Mantid's cycle of a hundred years began more than fifteen thousand years ago, when they migrated to the Pandaria region.
At that time, the Titan's Pantheon had already been destroyed by Sargeras, and the great guardian Ra-den had chosen self-exile due to his depression.
The Mogu army, still rock constructs, lost their leader and could only passively guard the Vale of Eternal Blossoms according to past instructions.
And what could interest the Mantid in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, besides a sacred spring, was the last essence of the Old God Y'Shaarj sealed by Ra-den!
Although it was only a heart, the Old Gods were also extraordinary beings, like Sarataas, who was devoured by the other four Old Gods the moment this Old God lady descended on Azeroth.
Even if only a dagger-like claw remained of her remains, this claw contained the remaining will and ability of the Old God, let alone the heart left behind by Y'Shaarj, known as the strongest Old God?
Perhaps this heart hides Y'Shaarj's last will, calling out to the Mantid every once in a while, asking them to save itself from the Titan's seal!
...
As Galen thought so, he increasingly felt that he had found the truth about the Mantid's centennial cycle of war!
But now is not the time to think about this.
Now, the entire Serpent's Spine is filled with the smoke of ignited beacons.
The Pandaren behind the Great Wall will retreat westward, away from the wall, after the beacons are lit.
Faced with the Mantid's premature attack, the Serpent's Spine garrison had already received notification, and with the presence of Niuzao, the Black Ox, one of the Four Celestials, the Pandaren's morale was high.
"Fire! Fire!"
Under the leadership of female Pandaren Captain Li Qiwei, the sharpshooters of Dawn's Blossom were constantly firing at the Kor'thik swarmlings in the sky.
Under the dense rain of arrows, the densely packed Mantid in the sky, like black mist, kept falling.
However, the number of Mantid was too large, and some still slipped through the net and fell from the sky.
It let out a sharp hiss, waving the amber warblade in its hand, and smashed into the frantically counterattacking Serpent's Spine wall in a surprise attack.
"Halberd warriors! Advance!"
The Shado-Pan wall guards had long been full of experience in dealing with the Mantid's attacks, and even if the Mantid attacked the wall, they could calmly deal with it.
During this period, the Dawn's Blossom garrison almost couldn't hold on against the overwhelming Mantid, but fortunately, Galen made several moves, summoning several meteor showers, allowing the Pandaren to experience a bit of a 'showy' life.
Because of Galen's intervention, the garrison waited for two waves of reinforcements, one from the Temple of the Red Crane and one from the Temple of the Jade Serpent.
The arrival of the two groups of monks finally leveled the number of both sides and contained the Mantid's offensive.
The battle lasted for two hours, and Galen witnessed the number of Mantid and the close cooperation between the Pandaren.
What interested Galen the most was the long-range artillery shells made by the Pandaren, hand-held tiger squat cannons forged into dragon heads!
They don't need heavy gun carriages, they can be fired just by lighting the fuse.
This reminded Galen of what he saw in the Mulan cartoon when he was a child.
For this reason, Galen also asked the gunners for a few to light and play with, and Galen also specifically stared at the Mantid officers to shoot, each shot exploding into a cloud of blood in the sky.
Galen's actions also attracted the attention of the Mantid high-level, a foreign race different from the Pandaren killed a large number of Mantid soldiers!
How could this be tolerated?
The Mantid commander, Ri'mok, was already a little impatient when he saw that he had not been able to climb the wall of the Serpent's Spine after attacking for a long time.
The large-scale casualties caused by Galen's release of spells made him even more angry: "Destroyer Ptilik, Raider Ga'dokah!"
Ri'mok shouted loudly, and soon two tall Mantid came to him.
These two Mantid were wearing simple gray-white armor, and at first glance, they were different from those cannon fodder Mantid.
The fact is also true, they are two powerful generals under Ri'mok, who have experienced many battles over the years and made many achievements, only the last step away from becoming heroes!
"You two go up and kill that foreign mage in the brocade robe for me!"
The Mantid commander's idea is very simple, as long as Galen, who always causes trouble at critical moments to save the Pandaren, is killed, he can launch a full-scale attack and attack the wall of the Serpent's Spine like in the previous cycle of war!
"Yes! Commander!"
Destroyer Ptilik and Raider Ga'dokah glanced at each other after receiving the order, and turned to carry out the orders of their immediate superior.
At this moment, Galen was having a great time.
Niuzao, the Black Ox, had already gone to other parts of the wall to supervise the battle and save the field.
Galen, who had no one to talk to, directly grabbed two Pandaren gunners.
The two Pandaren gunners knew that he was a distinguished guest of the Celestial, so they showed great respect to Galen, even if they were constantly helping him carry the dragon-shaped shells, they had no complaints.
Galen kept grabbing a shell with one hand and placing it on the wall, without even needing to aim, just roughly adjusting the angle to the sky and then lighting the fuse!
Chiu!
Boom!
The shell flew out with black smoke, whistling and hitting a team of Mantid who were about to attack.
As a result, in the next moment, all fifty or so Mantid in this Mantid squad were killed, and fragmented limbs were scattered everywhere!
"Wow! It's been a long time since I played with sky rockets, hahaha!"
"Exciting! It's a pity that this scene is still not as good as my Allied Forces besieging Ahn'Qiraj with hundreds of thousands of troops, the Mantid Empress is not strong either!"
As Galen sighed, two black shadows flashed in the sky like lightning, and the shadows were accompanied by howling winds!
The two Pandaren gunners were directly blown away by the strong wind and fell to the other side of the wall.
Galen's eyes narrowed, and his powerful eyesight directly locked onto the two black shadows!
It turned out to be two legendary early-stage Mantid!
A burst of sound waves came from the mouths of the two Mantid, which is a unique way of communication for the Mantid, but Galen deciphered the content of the sound waves through mental power: "Go to hell! Foreigner! Become the merit on my road to becoming a hero!"
Galen, who understood, showed a mocking smile, just you?
Become a hero?
I think you can only become a soul nourishment in my Altar of Kings!
"Heh, you have no chance, the last position has already been reserved by me!"
Galen stretched out his hands and, as the two Mantid generals approached, grabbed their necks!
"This..."
Not only the two Mantid, but also the Mantid commander in the distance was shocked!
Destroyer Ptilik is an expert in playing with ordnance and bombs, and is not known for his speed, but Raider Ga'dokah is an agile warrior, whose flying speed can even break the speed of sound!
"This is impossible!"
"Anything is possible!"
Galen flashed a cruel smile at the two Mantid, then exerted force with his palm and squeezed!
Snap!
Two crisp cracking sounds echoed!
The two Mantid experts, Raider Gadu'ka and Destroyer Zip'tilak, who were full of ambition to become heroes, had their necks snapped just like that, losing their lives at Galen's hands!
Double kill!
The surrounding Pandaren were stunned. The appearance of the two Mantid was too shocking, a whirlwind and inferno all in one. They were prepared for heavy casualties, but the two Mantid died in less than three seconds?
Dreaming?
I must be seeing things!
It wasn't until Galen casually tossed the two Mantid off the city wall, as if throwing away two bags of garbage, that the Pandaren defenders woke up from their dream!
As expected of someone who can chat and laugh with Master Niuzao, so strong!
Feeling the worshipful gazes of the surrounding Pandaren, with the atmosphere already built up, Galen pointed a thumb at the Mantid commander Ra'mok in the distance, then rotated his wrist, pointing his thumb downwards!
Ra'mok should be grateful that Mantids are arthropods, breathing through their abdomen and lacking lungs, otherwise his lungs would have exploded with anger!
He couldn't wait to dispatch his secret weapon, the living siege ram Lygong, to charge the Pandaren defenses, smash the city wall, and then personally eliminate that detestable outsider!
In the end, he restrained himself!
As a commander, he understood that his one-on-one combat ability was even inferior to the deceased Zip'tilak and Gadu'ka. That outsider easily killed his two capable subordinates, so he would just be throwing his life away!
Ra'mok's compound eyes flashed, and he ultimately chose to swallow this anger!
His troops were only the vanguard, with limited forces at his disposal. He should leave such a powerful and difficult opponent to his mortal enemy, the brute Vor'galk!
"Retreat!"
After a burst of sound waves, the Mantid who were still on the front lines quickly disengaged from the battle and left the Serpent's Spine!
"Oh! Awoo! The Mantid are retreating!"
"We won!"
The Pandaren let out deafening cheers, celebrating their victory in repelling the Mantid's attack once again!
Unlike the Pandaren who had escaped death, Niuzao, the August Celestial who had experienced hundreds or thousands of Mantid cycles of war, wore a worried expression.
"What troubles you, my friend?"
Galen looked at the distressed Niuzao and asked.
"The Mantid are only retreating temporarily. According to my past experience, their losses this time are less than one-tenth of what they were a century ago. There will definitely be more brutal battles ahead!"
Niuzao sighed deeply, "This attack is many years earlier than usual. The Pandaren are simply not adequately prepared. I see that their armories are already running dry!"
This Mantid invasion was because the Sha of Fear controlled their queen, and the corrupted Mantid launched the war prematurely.
"Don't worry, I have already arranged a backup plan. Even if the Mantid launch a second attack, they will not break through the Serpent's Spine's defenses."
Galen thought for a moment, then said, "However, just in case, I will provide the Shado-Pan with a batch of hot weapons!"
Even if he and the Four August Celestials had an agreement not to allow his army to enter Pandaria, he could still provide armaments to the Pandaren.
Mortars, anti-aircraft guns, tanks, and the like may not be able to deal with Mantid paragons, but they are more than enough to deal with ordinary Mantid warriors.
Galen's repeated performances of Meteor Fall on the Dragonspine, coupled with his final feat of snapping the necks of two Mantid Generals, directly terrified the Mantid into retreating. This display of power made him the greatest hero in the eyes of the Dawnseeker Garrison.
This made him the center of attention wherever he went.
In the end, he couldn't bear the fervent gazes of the round-bellied folk any longer. He chose to shoulder Kun-Lai Mountain and leave this place to Xu Niu to guard.
The magnificence of the Dragonspine was second only to the Great Wall of China that Galen had seen in his previous life. In comparison, the Walls of Stormwind and Greymane were simply child's play.
It stretched from the foothills of Kun-Lai Mountain in the north, across the Valley of the Four Winds, to the sea of Krasarang Wilds in the south. This fortress-level war defense line, built by slaves driven by the Mogu Empire ten thousand years ago, still exuded such awe even after ten thousand years.
Galen rode Yu'lei, heading north along the Dragonspine from Dawnseeker Pass. The surrounding terrain grew higher and higher, indicating that they had entered the territory of Kun-Lai Mountain.
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Kun-Lai Mountain's altitude surpassed all other mountain ranges in Pandaria. Even the towering mountains surrounding the Vale of Eternal Blossoms couldn't compare. Even in the entirety of Azeroth, Kun-Lai Mountain's highest peak could rank among the top three!
Due to the overall high altitude and cold climate of the Kun-Lai Mountains, the vegetation here wasn't as lush and verdant as in the Jade Forest. Only some sparse, cold-resistant vegetation grew among them, with thick white snow covering the distant, majestic mountains.
Two days later, he arrived at the northernmost fortress of the Dragonspine: the Niuzao Temple.
In fact, the Niuzao Temple had also suffered Mantid attacks. However, the Mantid's strength was weak on this plateau, and with two Zandalari troll armies in the Dread Wastes eyeing them covetously, tying up a large portion of their forces, the Niuzao Temple was still under the control of the Shado-Pan when Galen arrived.
And stationed at the Niuzao Temple was Ironbelly Chen, one of Taran Zhu's confidants. He was responsible for commanding one of the Shado-Pan's armed forces: the Winter Blossom Brigade.
"Such a major event as the Mantid invasion, yet Taran Zhu didn't personally come to oversee it? Your leader has a truly big heart!"
Galen was somewhat puzzled by the meager defenses here and asked directly.
Ironbelly Chen carefully sized up Galen, showing great curiosity towards this emissary recognized by Chi-Ji, Yu'lon, and Niuzao.
After all, three of the Four Celestials had shown friendliness and respect towards this outsider, Galen. This was a treatment only the last emperor, Shaohao, had received in the history of the pandaren!
"Celestial Emissary, it's not that the Master isn't willing to come, but a major incident has occurred at the Shado-Pan Monastery. The Master had to first handle the crisis within the monastery!"
Something happened at the Shado-Pan Monastery?
Could it be!
"The Sha sealed within the Shado-Pan Monastery has broken free?"
"That's right, Emissary! The Sha has broken free!"
Galen guessed correctly. Not long ago, the Sha of Doubt in the Temple of the Red Crane had been linked to the breaking of the Sha of Fear. And Galen and Niuzao had even devised a plan to release the Sha of Fear. Then the last three sealed Sha should definitely be rioting.
However, Galen had already sent Chi-Ji and Yu'lon to provide support to the Temple of the White Tiger. In theory, with the three Celestials, especially with the support-oriented Chi-Ji and the strongest combatant, Xuen, as well as Yu'lon's assistance, the Sha of Anger, the Sha of Violence, and the Sha of Hatred shouldn't be able to cause much trouble.
"What's the situation?"
"Emissary, I don't know the specifics, but according to the information sent by the Master, the situation should still be under control!"
"Hopefully!"
Galen asked Ironbelly Chen for a detailed local map, then rode Yu'lei into the Kun-Lai Mountains.
In the air, he flew over the Shado-Pan Monastery, relying on his powerful eyesight to look down at the monastery's courtyard.
The monastery seemed peaceful, with no traces of the Sha wreaking havoc.
A group of monks were training in the courtyard amidst the biting cold wind. Some were barefoot, some were bare-chested, but their movements were neat and uniform, without the slightest error.
This was something Galen had never seen in the elite armies of the various races of Azeroth. Their fists were like lightning, cutting through the mountain's chill. Their movements were like flowing water, yet they had the momentum of a surging tide. Their strength was immense, yet they were calm and composed.
Yu'lei sensed Galen's thoughts and didn't rush on, but instead circled back and forth above the Shado-Pan Monastery.
Galen carefully observed, and he found that the pandaren's emotional fluctuations were very normal, and so normal that it was strange.
Even after finishing their training, these monks rarely laughed, but they also didn't show anger. It seemed that through these militarized drills, the monks had become calm and peaceful, as if exercising their bodies could satisfy them.
Galen had previously thought that Shaohao's decision to disband the army and leave only the Shado-Pan to guard Pandaria was too rash. Now he decided to retract his previous view of Shaohao.
The Shado-Pan monks are very strong!
But as long as the crisis in Pandaria is resolved, they're all mine!
All mine!
Galen came back to his senses at this time, the Shado-Pan's defensive forces had already surrounded him and Yu'lei.
After all, he and Yu'lei were too blatant, actually circling in the air and spying on their internal training.
Mainly because Yu'lei's speed was too fast. If it were any other intruder, the Shado-Pan guards would have intercepted them before they even entered their territory!
Master Gu Cloudstrike of the Shado-Pan immediately rode his Azure Dragon with his disciples, taking to the skies to teach this ignorant madman a lesson.
As a result, the dragons under their crotches showed respect to Yu'lei after taking off. Gu Cloudstrike then realized that this outsider riding the Azure Dragon was the emissary of the Supreme Celestial in Taran Zhu's mouth.
"Celestial Emissary, I am Gu Cloudstrike of the Shado-Pan Monastery, welcome to the Shado-Pan's base!"
Seeing such a large formation, Galen also realized that he had been too arrogant just now. After responding amicably, he patted Yu'lei's back, signaling her to descend.
Ironbelly Chen knew too little information. He was going to ask this person, as the headquarters, they should know more about the information of the Temple of the White Tiger.
After landing, Yu'lei's figure quickly shrunk, turning back into a bracelet wrapped around Galen's wrist.
Gu Cloudstrike's eyes flashed, filled with envy, and then looked at his partner Azure Dragon with a burning gaze.
"Hmph!"
The Azure Dragon snorted unhappily, then flicked its tail and left Gu Cloudstrike's dojo without looking back.
"Ah… Ah, don't, A'li, A'li, that's not what I meant!"
Gu Cloudstrike's appearance at this moment was very much like a husband who had angered his partner, not knowing whether to comfort his dragon or continue to receive Galen, this honored guest.
"Go, go, just find a disciple to take me to Master Snowdrift! Hehe!"
"Hahahaha!"
The surrounding disciples couldn't help but laugh along with Galen, finally breaking into friendly laughter.