With all preparations complete, the Alliance army set off from the Temple of the Twin Moons, passed through the Pass of the Setting Sun, and entered the Dread Wastes to establish a forward base and counterattack the Mantid!
Defense?
That was out of the question. A legion composed of ten thousand high-level professionals, more than half of whom were clerics, was led by Turalyon, the Archbishop of the Holy Light Order. Equipped with a large amount of Holy Water, they could deal with the Mantid or cope with the corruption from the Sha of Fear with ease!
Moreover, the Alliance Expeditionary Force was not fighting alone. Galen had already told Turalyon and Zhu Talan the truth about the Sha of Fear corrupting the Mantid Empress.
Zhu Talan went from initial shock to sending secret agents to confirm that there was a huge division within the Mantid, seemingly divided into two factions that were fighting each other.
He hadn't expected that Galen was the culprit behind the Mantid's premature attack on Serpent's Spine, but this plan had been approved by the August Celestials and was top secret, which made Zhu Talan feel very aggrieved.
"Everything for Pandaria!"
This sentence directly suppressed all of Zhu Talan's dissatisfaction. Then, led by Galen, he took the newly formed Shado-Pan Assault Force to the northwest coast of Pandaria to find the legendary Isle of Thunder.
That was Lei Shen's former capital, Thunder Mountain, which had broken away from the Pandaria region in the explosion of the Well of Eternity and become an island.
The high-level members of the Shado-Pan and the Golden Lotus had unanimously agreed that Lei Shen would definitely return to his old nest to recruit troops after his resurrection!
The Shado-Pan Assault Force set off from the Ox Temple and arrived smoothly at the bridge of the Niuzao Temple, where the Anglers had prepared several fishing boats.
A few fishing boats were not enough to transport the entire Shado-Pan Assault Force to the Isle of Thunder, but Galen's original plan was not to directly attack with a large army.
He planned to land on the island alone and then set up a portal again in a secret corner. This plan to strike directly at the heart of the enemy was simpler and faster.
Just as Galen was preparing to land on the Isle of Thunder, a huge change also took place in the Dread Wastes.
Kha'zix, as the Awakener, had finally awakened the paragons sealed in Klaxxi'vess after more than half a month of effort.
Because of this powerful strength and merit, he was unanimously recognized by the elders and was granted the title of new paragon: Voidreaver!
However, the elders did not know that among the paragons awakened by Kha'zix, besides Windbinder Kirthruk, the other eleven paragons—Swarmguard Hisek, Iyyokuk the Lucid, Kor'thik the Devourer, Kaz'tik the Manipulator, Kil'ruk the Wind-Reaver, Xaril the Poisoned Mind, Sethe the Corruptor, Ner'zhak the Bloodletter, Rik'kal the Dissector, Skeer the Bloodseeker, and Qura'ji the Voidcaller—already belonged to Trollbane.
Kha'zix found these sealed ambers and teleported them, amber and all, to Galen's territory. Then, like the ending of the Jade Serpent and the Monkey King, they were "voluntarily" transformed into followers under the gaze of a group of golden Holy Dragons.
When the twelve paragons gathered, they spontaneously held a celebration party at Star Lake in the Dread Wastes. Under the escort of the eleven paragons, even the original Windreaver could not escape the same fate.
The Klaxxi'vess Council's accumulation of ten thousand years, twelve legendary warriors, had changed hands just like that!
The unknowing elders now had twelve, no, thirteen paragons including the newly promoted Kha'zix. With this trump card, they were full of confidence and prepared to launch a war of rebellion!
The Klaxxi'vess elders summoned all the paragons in the square.
"Paragons, we don't have much time left! The Empress herself has lost her mind, and if our entire civilization is devoted to the Sha, it will be meaningless even if the Mantid swarm the entire Pandaria."
"And we have not responded to the Empress's call for many days, asking us to go to the Swarm to receive sublimation. Shek'zeer has also lost patience with us. A Swarm army has already gathered in the shadow of the Heart of Fear and is ordered to destroy Klaxxi'vess!"
Elder Ixkik announced the council's decision to the paragons with a heavy face: "The council has reached a consensus, paragons. We will end the Empress's life and save the future of our great empire! Let the corruptors in the Heart of Fear feel the power of the Klaxxi!"
The Empress's thoughts have never been the same as the council's. The elders believed that the powerful Empress could resist the Sha's invasion, but things have developed to this point today, so there is only one reason: the Empress has reached an agreement with those inferior Sha.
The Empress is parasitized by the Sha, and the Sha amplifies the Empress's power. The elders conservatively estimate that the Empress's current strength has broken through the demigod level, and those armies that have accepted the Sha's power will be even more difficult to deal with!
Although the Klaxxi do not have their own army to fight against the Empress's Swarm, they have this group of paragons in front of them. They are the warriors of the ancient Mantid era, preserved in amber and buried deep beneath the Dread Wastes.
These powerful warriors, genius alchemists, and deadly assassins were preserved at their peak. Each and every one of them is powerful. The council has exhausted all its cards. They must defeat the corrupted Queen.
The paragons did not speak, quietly waiting for Elder Ixkik's orders. The paragons' experiences destined them not to be afraid of these difficulties. They were born to fight!
"Under Shek'zeer's rule, Kypari Tree, Vol'Kerr, has been twisted into a totem of fear. As the scouts have discovered, the Heart of Fear is corrupting the Mantid eggs. Mar'li the Unscarred, you need to recover them before all the eggs are corrupted. We need to re-hatch them here. They will become citizens of the new empire, thus keeping them away from the threat of the Sha."
"As you command, Elder!"
"Swarmguard Hisek, the Empress has sent out scouts to every corner of this land to consolidate her rule. We need your ability to clear those Eyes of the Empress!"
"No problem, Elder!"
"Xaril the Poisoned Mind, we need your ability to create a batch of special poisonous weapons to fight against the Empress!"
"As you command, Elder! I think the scorpions that run rampant on the rock walls and the honeydew of the Shadows of Fear are good choices! My poison is already hungry and thirsty. What could be more powerful to announce my return than death and destruction?"
"Then go ahead and do it. The more of this weapon, the better!"
The elders were very satisfied with the paragons' answers. With a wave of the blades in their hands: "Go, paragons, go to the battlefield! For the future of the Mantid Empire!"
Kha'Zix coldly watched the mobilization rally in the Klaxxi'vess plaza.
During this time, he had thoroughly understood everything about these distant relatives.
The Mantid Empress was a formidable figure feared throughout Pandaria, with an almost endless number of Mantid hosts born from her.
Although the Mantid Empresses were long-lived, they were not immortal.
The Klaxxi was a renowned council composed of Mantid elders, responsible for ensuring the orderly transition of royal power.
The exact nature of the transition was highly secretive but seemed to involve combat duels, with the predecessor Empress's remains being fed to the successor.
For this reason, an unbroken line of power ran through the entire history of Mantid culture.
And the Klaxxi Council played a crucial role in the Mantid imperial succession and the protection of Mantid culture.
Originally, under normal circumstances, the council elders did not have the power to directly revoke or defy the Empress's decrees, but now the Mantid's heritage had reached a critical juncture of survival, with the executioner's blade already on their necks, the council had to choose to right the wrongs and remove the corrupt officials around the emperor.
Alas!
Looking at the history of the insectoids, their fate has been truly fraught with twists and turns.
Kha'Zix had seen clearly that the so-called Old Gods were the tumors of Azeroth, and believing in them would only lead to the destruction of the insectoids.
Not to mention the Ahn'Qiraj, Kha'Zix was their former emperor, he himself was once a fanatical believer of C'Thun, now thinking about it, he was really blinded by greed.
The Spider Kingdom worshiped Yogg-Saron, but when their underground kingdom suffered the Scourge's massacre, the so-called gods did not help them, and not only that, after the Spider Kingdom was destroyed, the Old Gods also sent Faceless Ones to enslave the last remnants of the kingdom.
The Mantid, on the other hand, offered themselves up, having broken away from the Aqir Empire tens of thousands of years ago, only to discover traces of Y'Shaarj's remains during their migration and chose to settle in Pandaria.
The Mantid's hundred-year cycle was to occupy the Vale of Eternal Blossoms and liberate Y'Shaarj, who was sealed underground.
That's right, just as Galen suspected, although Y'Shaarj's body was crushed, he did not die, and his consciousness was resurrected in the final heart.
Although the Heart of Y'Shaarj had more power essence than Sarataas, who only had a claw left, he could only slowly accumulate power due to the suppression of the Titan Keeper's prison, and every hundred years he would use this accumulated power to send out calls to the Mantid.
The insect swarms were special, the low-level swarm individuals did not have much of their own thoughts, they would listen to the higher-level empresses and elders, the empress's goal was simple, to produce more insect eggs, liberate the master, rule Pandaria, and restore the glory of the insectoid empire.
But the council's thoughts were different from the empress's, having finally broken away from the Aqir Empire, they did not want their race to submit to the so-called master again, and lose their freedom again!
It should be known that the Old Gods are not benevolent beings, Kha'Zix thought that instead of letting Shek'zeer lead the Mantid down a path of no return, it would be better to let them embrace a new master!
That was the future of the insectoids!
And it was a unification of three insect races!
… … … … … … … … … … … …
After a month of preparation, the war began.
At this time, five thousand Mantid swarm insects were assigned to Kha'Zix's command, they were all new empire citizens hatched from insect eggs snatched from the Empress's territory by the heroes during this time.
The swarm insects did not have much intelligence, they would only listen to the orders of the higher-level insectoids, they were natural warriors… and cannon fodder.
In addition to Kha'Zix, the other heroes also became legion commanders, but compared to the newcomer Kha'Zix, as veterans, they had at least ten thousand swarm insects under their command, and up to twenty thousand.
This shows how strong the Zerg's reproductive ability is.
However, this was based on the Klaxxi Council spending thousands of years of precious materials, and equipping the amber nutrient solution to catalyze these hundreds of thousands of troops.
Even with hundreds of thousands of insect swarms, it was still difficult for the council to close the gap with the Empress's army, but fortunately, the council side overwhelmed the Empress's faction in terms of the number of high-end combat power.
So the decapitation plan had to involve the Pandaren side.
Heroic Paragon Ko'fan was dispatched to act as an envoy and reached a temporary agreement with the Pandaren, the Pandaren would help the council hold back the Empress's army on the Serpent's Spine, giving the council sufficient time to capture the Empress's lair, the Heart of Fear.
In exchange, the Mantid would reach a truce agreement with the Pandaren.
As for how long this truce agreement could last, the high-level officials of the Golden Lotus were not very concerned.
The Sha of Pandaria had been eliminated, and the Four Celestials had confirmed that the Pandaren would not have to worry about the Sha's riots for hundreds of years, if Galen properly handled the Heart of Y'Shaarj in the later stages, then the land of Pandaria would no longer have the breeding of Sha.
As for the Yaungol, Galen had already sent Baine and Mayla to subdue them, in the later stages they would either be destroyed or move to Kalimdor as a whole.
As for the Mogu, as long as the resurrected Lei Shen died again, the Mogu without the leadership of this tyrant were simply not worth mentioning!
Then the Pandaren's great enemy would only be the Mantid left, and it was the Mantid after the internal strife, the Pandaren said that we have the Serpent's Spine and the army in hand, the future is stable!
The temporary alliance was signed, and the defenders of the Dawnseeker Outpost and the Alliance's joint forces immediately took the initiative to attack the Empress's front-line base camp!
The Mantid's front-line commander, Ri'mok, had already lost two generals, Gadok the Stalker and Kip'tilak the Destroyer, when attacking the Dawnseeker Outpost, and even Leigon, the thick-skinned siege beast, was personally killed by Niuzao, which made his high-end combat power seriously insufficient.
Originally, it was more than enough to deal with the defenders of the Serpent's Spine, but the Pandaren had an additional alliance of the Alliance!
That was an alliance of more than a dozen forces!
More than a dozen forces meant that there were more than a dozen legendary masters leading the team!
It took the Klaxxi Council thousands of years to accumulate more than a dozen legendary heroes, which shows how sharp the Alliance's attack was, which required the entire power of the Mantid Empire to resist, and what use was he, a front-line commander!
Request for help!
Request for help non-stop!
The Empress must be dispatched to send powerful reinforcements, otherwise the front line will not be able to hold on!
Therefore, the Mantid dispatched four people, Prime Minister Jin'bakk, Commander Worgak, General Pa'valak, and Winglord Ner'nok, leading the land and air forces to the front line!
This army was originally going to attack Niuzao Temple, the Pandaren's main base in the Dread Wastes, but now they had to be dispatched to the east!
The council's goal was achieved!
Gather together, break through the defenses of the Heart of Fear, and cleanse the corrupted Mantid!
The elder's words, amplified by the amber crystal, resonated in the minds of every mantid. The high-ranking insectoids had given these low-ranking insects their objective, and they would carry out this command at all times!
Thus, the thirteen armies of the paragons charged straight towards the Heart of Fear!
Leading the charge were the armies led by three paragons: Mar'lith the Unscarred, Seek'er Skeer, and Ri'kiluk the Windreaver.
The strong will triumph, while the weak will face extinction.
Ri'kiluk always remembered this profound saying from the empress he once served, and he had always believed in it.
He led the other flying mantid towards the west.
From the first moment of his existence, he had craved battle. His instincts ignited everything, his antennae anxiously intertwined. His forelegs were firmly tucked into his carapace-covered abdomen, and his four transparent wings buzzed naturally behind him, like breathing.
On the ground, two swarms, one from the east and one from the west, charged at each other. They tore and devoured each other in the shadow of the Heart of Fear, with countless swarmlings dying every second.
Currently, the Council's army was at a disadvantage!
This was not the first civil war in the Mantid Empire. Because the empress's lifespan was as long as three to four thousand years, the council stipulated that each empress, after ruling for three thousand years, must pass the throne to the next successor in order to ensure the ruler's energy and prevent the decline of function after old age from affecting the reproduction of insect eggs and hindering the growth of the Mantid Empire.
Over tens of thousands of years, there have also been several empresses who were unwilling to give up the throne and chose to raise troops to besiege the council, but none of the previous empresses could compare to the current Shek'zeer!
This empress was young and vigorous, with extremely clever tactics. In addition, her merging with the Sha of Fear made up for the shortcomings of the empress lineage in terms of individual combat power!
Therefore, the strength possessed by the current Grand Empress Shek'zeer was even greater than that of other empresses in the history of the Mantid Empire's internal strife!
Royal Vizier Zhor'loks, Mantid Master Trainer Blade Lord Ta'yak, Mantid Air Force General Mel'jarak, and Royal Amber Alchemist Grand Master Hisek, these high-ranking lords were all corrupted by Shek'zeer and became her lackeys!
If the battle of the swarmlings on the ground was a bloody, tooth-and-nail affair, then Ri'kiluk's attacks and those of the other flying mantid were relatively dull.
These flying mantid all carried a net containing amber-colored hard blocks. They hovered high in the sky above the battlefield, far from the range of ground-based ranged attacks.
These amber-colored hard blocks were amber bombs made by amber artisans, with strong attack power. The flying mantid dropped the bombs in the air, and they fell on the heads of the opposing side, exploding and releasing venom and acid to attack!
The venom and acid stained the bodies of the swarmlings on the empress's side. Due to pain and fright, the hit swarmlings screamed frantically. After throwing the bombs, the mantid returned to the amber artisans to refill the nets with bombs.
Ri'kiluk the Windreaver was among the flying mantid, constantly bombing.
He felt a strange sense of pleasure arise spontaneously.
He really hoped to see the struggling expressions of the enemies up close, and he hoped to dye the earth red with their blood!
This was a battle for promotion. Mantid were born with a lack of brains, but they were extremely eager for war. Participating in cluster warfare was not only a cultural rite of passage—it was also a catalyst for physical maturity.
Only those warriors who returned from the battlefield could grow from swarmlings into individual citizens with complete autonomy.
At the same time, this was a battle for dominance. If the empress's side won, Shek'zeer could continue to dominate the Mantid Empire, break through the Serpent's Spine, and compete for hegemony in Pandaria!
If the Council's side won, they would, according to tradition, support the enthronement of a new empress, and then ensure that the empire continued to maintain its traditions for thousands of years.
Shak'thriel the Darkspeaker of the Council's side, seeing such a tragic battle situation, turned to ask the paragon beside him: "How does it feel to revolt again, Swarmguard? Didn't your empress once try to control the Council with delusions?"
Hisek the Swarmguard, who was asked, also stared at the battlefield: "The Grand Empress Zan'thikah, whom I served in the past, concealed her true purpose in the name of love. She claimed that her dictatorial rule was to protect us."
"When she tried to imprison the swarm, in her words, it was to prevent 'unnecessary sacrifices,' but in reality, she was just clinging to power. She longed to prolong her rule and sacrificed our eternal cycle to achieve this goal. We had no choice but to kill her."
Grand Empress Zan'thikah had also launched a war against the Council. At that time, she was only one step away from success, but unfortunately, she was assassinated by Hisek, and this assassin became a paragon and was given the name Swarmguard.
Hisek was a little regretful. He didn't know who was right and who was wrong in the dispute between the empress and the council, but in the current situation, the mantid who were loyal to the empress were too crazy and chaotic. He didn't want the mantid civilization to be dominated by so-called gods, so he could only stand on the side of the council!
"So, after seeing what Grand Empress Shek'zeer has done in our land... even without the orders of a new master, I have already made up my mind to end her rule!"
The Swarmguard's words were unanimously approved by all the paragons. Although their allegiance had changed, their race had not.
Especially in the new camp, they already knew the truth of this world. If they wanted the Mantid Empire to continue, they could not let Grand Empress Shek'zeer mess around!
"Alright, everyone, the time has come, it's our turn to play!"
Kha'zix interrupted the conversation of all the paragons. Originally, High Executor Qorigg was vaguely the leader of the twelve paragons, but now their leader had become Kha'zix!
As for the timing he mentioned, it was because he knew that to the north of the Heart of Fear, an even larger army of insectoids was rushing into the Dread Wastes from the direction of the Mantid Plateau.
Kypari Vor, Rikktun Village was instantly submerged by this insectoid army that was no less than the mantid, and the spearhead pointed directly at the Heart of Fear!
That was the joint army of the Ahn'Qiraj insectoids and the Spider Kingdom insectoids. After more than half a year of wretched development, they finally hatched a considerable number of soldiers, and at the most critical moment, they launched a fierce sneak attack on the empress's side from behind!
"As you command! Emperor!"
The paragons said in unison.
"No, I will not become the emperor of the mantid. From now on, call me leader. There will only be one emperor in the future of Azeroth!"
As the battle against the Heart of Fear began, Galen was already sailing the northwestern seas of Pandaria aboard the Anglers' fishing boat. In these northwestern Pandarian waters, numerous islands of varying sizes dotted the landscape. After a day at sea, a massive island finally came into view.
"Is that Thunder Isle? It's so close!" Galen asked the Pandaren fisherman who was still operating the sails, gazing at the lush green island.
"It is not, sir," the fisherman replied to Galen after a glance at the island. "That is Isle of Giants!"
Isle of Giants?
So that's where it is.
In the original timeline, after Lei Shen was resurrected, he returned to Thunder Isle and activated the army he had left behind. In addition to summoning the powerful Storm Lord Nalak to guard the gates of Lei Shen's throne, he also dispatched the formidable General Pa'valak to the Isle of Giants to command the Giants clan on the island to besiege the Temple of Niuzao.
From this, it was clear that this island was an important springboard for Lei Shen's invasion of the Pandaria continent, and it was necessary to take control of it as soon as possible.
Moreover, Galen vaguely remembered that this island, besides Windward Isle in the Jade Forest, was one of the few remaining roosting sites for cloud serpents. The Mogu tribe of the Isle of Giants had become the overlords of this island by enslaving the cloud serpents.
Since the Isle of Giants belonged to the Krasarang Wilds, and in Galen's plans, the Krasarang Wilds and Dread Wastes would both become Zerg territory in the future, then the task of occupying the Isle of Giants would be entrusted to Hahoran and Elder Dismantle.
The fishing boat continued to sail, but compared to the calm and tranquil first half of the journey, the latter half was not easy. The closer they got to Thunder Isle, the more turbulent the waves became, accompanied by lightning and thunder in the thick clouds above.
These thunderstorms seemed to never cease, and the island seemed to be shrouded in some kind of power.
"Let's stop here. I'll go the rest of the way myself. You'd be in danger if you went any further."
After Galen finished speaking, he patted the Starlight Dragon on his wrist. The Titan-modified cloud serpent instantly grew from the size of a bracelet into a huge, rideable cloud serpent.
Galen tapped the small boat, leaped onto Alagoon's back, and after pulling the reins, transformed into a streak of light on the sea, disappearing from the fisherman's sight.
Before long, Galen saw the outline of Thunder Isle on the dim and gloomy sea. The entire island was shrouded in mist, with blue lightning flashing in the hazy fog!
According to the Anglers' records, the largest island in the northwest was the location of the ancient Mount Thunder. After separating from the mainland, it drifted to the edge of the northwestern Pandaria Sea, close to the Mists of Shaohao's incarnation, shrouded in dark mist and clouds all year round, with lightning enveloping the entire island, making it impossible for outsiders to approach.
"That's it!"
After confirming his destination, Galen signaled Alagoon to accelerate and pass through the mist and lightning!
Listening to the howling wind and the booming thunder around him, Galen quickly saw a continuous coastline.
Without realizing it, he estimated that the size of this island was at least twice that of the Isle of Giants he had seen before. Apart from the black rocks and withered trees on the island, there were no special discoveries for the time being.
However, when Galen approached the coast, he noticed a barrier of lightning protecting the island!
This was a facility built by Lei Shen during the height of his empire to protect his lair: the Lightning Rods!
They were like spears piercing the sky, with many complex magical patterns engraved on their bodies. They were manufactured using Titan technology, and after being personally charged and activated by Lei Shen in the early stages, they could autonomously draw lightning from the clouds to the ground.
In addition to preventing outsiders from landing on Thunder Isle, this defense system could also isolate the positioning of teleportation spells!
However, this spell had a flaw that was not really a flaw: the lightning barrier it created could only harm people of legendary rank at most. When a demigod wanted to force their way in, the lightning would at most be a massage.
After Alagoon transformed back into a bracelet, Galen covered his body with Holy Light, condensed it into a circular shield, and walked straight into the densest area of lightning.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
After Galen walked out of the densest lightning area, he finally saw the appearance of Thunder Isle up close. The soil on this island was strangely purplish-black, which should have been caused by the occasional lightning strikes from the clouds over the millennia.
In the original timeline, the Alliance and the Horde, with the help of the Shado-Pan, landed on Thunder Isle from the east and west directions, respectively, precisely because the Lightning Rods on the island were destroyed.
Later, after destroying the Lightning Rods, the armies of both sides entered Thunder Isle like a hot knife through butter, each establishing a forward base, and then relying on this base to steadily break through the walls of Lei Shen's throne, raided the Zandalari shipyards and the Mogu mines, and finally broke through the solid gates of Lei Shen's Throne.
During the battle for Lei Shen's Throne, the armies of both the Alliance and the Horde suffered heavy losses, mainly because the terrain and weather here were too harsh.
Because of the loss of Lei Shen's control, the island was shrouded in dark clouds all year round, surrounded by lightning, and had abundant rainfall. Most of the land had turned into swamps, and neither the Alliance's warhorses nor the Horde's kodo beasts and war wolves could fight on this disgusting terrain. Both sides had to abandon heavy equipment and cavalry and rely solely on infantry formations to advance.
Even the army left behind by Lei Shen, apart from those who were able to preserve their organization by shrinking back into the throne, those who were stationed in the outer palaces and fortresses were destroyed by the lightning strikes and turned into ruins.
After Galen looked around, he knew that he couldn't fly on this island unless he wasn't afraid of being chased by lightning!
So he found a high point to overlook the entire island and discovered a huge palace built against the mountain on the north side of the island. Like the Twin Moon Shrine, that palace was full of Mogu style.
That's the place!
Mount Thunder and Lei Shen's Throne!
With his excellent eyesight, Galen saw a group of Zandalari trolls commanding a group of direhorns, enthusiastically transporting something into the palace.
Dinosaur war beasts from the Isle of Giants?
Galen guessed in his heart.
These trolls are really working hard, so diligently strengthening Lei Shen's army?
However, their cooperation with Lei Shen was simply seeking skin from a tiger. However, both sides had their own agendas and were only temporarily united because of the same interests. Once one side lost power, the other side would not hesitate to abandon their alliance.
Regarding Lei Shen's restoration, it was estimated that none of the races in Pandaria held a supportive attitude.
Leaving aside the Pandaren, Jinyu, Hozen, Tauren, and Earth Spirits, who had once been enslaved by Lei Shen, even the Mantid did not like Lei Shen, after all, they had been enemies for ten thousand years.
Back then, Lei Shen's army once pushed the battle lines deep into the Dread Wastes. A large number of amber trees were felled by the mogu, and if it hadn't been for a hero among them named the Supreme One, I'm afraid the Empress's nest would have been besieged.
Even among the existing mogu dynasties, opinions on Lei Shen are divided. Some praise him for ending the endless infighting of the Hundred Kings' War, while others criticize his obstinacy and cruelty.
However, one thing is certain: they don't want Lei Shen to be resurrected either. After all, Lei Shen was crowned as a tyrant in Pandaria. This brutal emperor not only didn't treat the pandaren and other local Pandarian races as human beings, but also regarded his fellow mogu as expendable tools to consolidate his rule.
Recently, Galen had also heard that the current mogu Emperor Xin had issued a proclamation to all the mogu on the continent of Pandaria, urging them not to go to the Isle of Thunder to serve Lei Shen.
This is actually easy to understand. It's like if Qin Shi Huang suddenly resurrected and wanted to rule the land of China again with his terracotta army. Others aside, Galen from his previous life would definitely not want that.
Just as Galen was carefully observing the Throne of Thunder, he suddenly felt a strange sensation behind his back, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly!
He turned around abruptly and stretched out his right hand, freezing a black shadow lunging at him in mid-air. Then, he raised his foot and used a whip kick to nail the attacker to a boulder on the side.
It turned out to be a saurok.
"Trying to sneak attack me?"
"Don't you even know who I am?"
Looking at the thoroughly dead saurok, Galen thought of something. He remembered that after Lei Shen's army retreated into the Throne of Thunder, the saurok slaves living on the periphery took the opportunity to break away from the mogu's control and then multiplied on the island.
They even worshiped a powerful devilsaur on the island as a god, developing into a primitive tribal civilization.
Following its footprints to the saurok's lair, Galen began to construct a portal after clearing out the entire cave of saurok.
Soon, Taran Zhu and a group of Shado-Pan masters walked out of the portal.
"This is the Isle of Thunder?" Taran Zhu raised his claw and covered his mouth and nose. Even though his face was covered with a mask, he could hardly bear the stench in the cave.
The other Shado-Pan Assault's masters also looked pained until a mage from the Secret Order summoned a water elemental to thoroughly clean the cave, and then everyone gathered in the cave again.
Taran Zhu approached Galen: "Galen, before we start fighting, we need detailed information about this island. I have already sent out the Shado-Pan scouts, and soon they will step on every corner of this island!"
"How should I put it? The situation on this island is not complicated, but if you only rely on your assault force of one thousand eight hundred people, I'm afraid it will be difficult to clear it out!"
The Horde and the Alliance merged from the east and the west, coupled with the Shado-Pan Assault's secret attacks, to completely control the Isle of Thunder. Now that only Taran Zhu's side is here, it is probably unrealistic to confront Lei Shen's army and the Zandalari fleet head-on.
Galen does like adventure. He would single-handedly break into the Vault of Mogu'shan, and here he will also enter the Throne of Thunder, but that doesn't mean he will personally slaughter the hidden saurok and mogu remnants on the Isle of Thunder.
"I also know it's risky, but we don't have enough troops right now!" Taran Zhu was a little embarrassed.
"Call for reinforcements, dude!"
"Huh?"
After Lei Shen's fall, the army of the Thunder King, except for a part guarding the imperial tomb, returned to the Isle of Thunder to guard their emperor's throne.
This army is called the Shield of the Emperor. The way to identify them is simple: every soldier in this legion wears a jade badge with a crown and crossed lightning bolts on it.
These elite mogu are transformed into stone statues, quietly waiting in the Throne of Thunder for the return of the emperor.
In addition to Lei Shen's army, the Shado-Pan Assault also has to deal with the Zandalari trolls. Judging from the large number of ships docked on the coast, there are no less than 50,000 trolls.
One thousand against fifty thousand, even if the elites of the Shado-Pan are each worth ten, they still can't kill them all!
Taran Zhu and even the entire pandaren high command know that now that Lei Shen has just been resurrected, the best way to eliminate him is to take advantage of the fact that he has not yet summoned his old troops and his power has not yet returned to its peak!
As the vanguard of the pandaren, the Shado-Pan Assault must act quickly, probing and opening up a safe passage for advancement as quickly as possible, and kill Lei Shen again during his weak period after his resurrection.
Otherwise, Pandaria will once again enter a catastrophe because of Lei Shen's conquest.
Taran Zhu doesn't want to become a sinner of the pandaren, so you can imagine how much pressure he is under.
Fortunately, there is still a strong person he can trust by his side, and Galen is also doing his best to help the pandaren.
To this end, Galen brought in three reinforcements, and they are still local forces belonging to Pandaria, which did not violate his agreement with the Four Celestials.
However, when the reinforcements arrived, Taran Zhu was really stunned!
Mogu Warlords!
The Jade Serpent brought 10,000 soldiers of the Emperor's Will Legion to the Isle of Thunder. Galen asked them to seal off the Vault of Mogu'shan and rush to the Isle of Thunder immediately. As for the defense of the Nalak'sha Engine…
Iragone, the guardian and activation key of the engine, is in Galen's hands. Even if other forces seize it, they will not be able to use it.
After the mogu army came the Hozen!
When a group of hozen carried a simple sedan chair made of jade forest bamboo, Galen already had a black line on his face. That dog thing Sun Wukong has only been gone for a few days, and he's already putting on airs!
After the Jade Serpent guarded the Vault of Mogu'shan, this untamed hozen demigod proposed that he wanted to travel around, to see what changes have taken place in the mountains and rivers of Pandaria in the past ten thousand years since Shao Hao left.
So Galen threw a map of hozen gathering places to Sun Wukong. The clever hozen quickly understood Galen's meaning, and while traveling, he personally took a trip to the Grookin Hill in Kun-Lai Summit and the Anga Monkey Island in Jade Forest, taking the hozen in the two regions as his own monkey grandchildren.
If it wasn't for Galen's emergency call, Sun Wukong's next stop would have been Kunsan Village in the Valley of the Four Winds and Anga Monkey Island in Krasarang Wilds. After completing these major hozen gathering places in Pandaria, Critiq would be the well-deserved Sun Wukong, once again becoming the hozen emperor of Pandaria.
The third reinforcement is the Yaungol!
Is there such an operation?
The leaders of the Yaungol are Baine Bloodhoof and Mayla Highmountain, a married couple. Galen pulled the tauren out of the Alliance coalition alone, just to let them subdue the Yaungol tribes in the Dread Wastes and Kun-Lai Summit.