After Deathwing escaped Stillwater Lake, he had been lurking in Swamp of Sorrows.
He slept in the mud, familiarizing himself with the new power NZoth had bestowed upon him. That was Nightmare Power, NZoth's primal power.
Without Azshara, NZoth found Elisande to replace her. Without Savis, NZoth found Deathwing. His plans would not rely on a single chess piece; every piece had an alternative.
Although Elisande and Deathwing were not as easy to use as Azshara and Savis, they were still reluctantly usable.
Elisande's failure disappointed NZoth somewhat, but Elisande still had her uses; she had developed the Naga to their current scale, which showed some capability.
The layout of The Maelstrom had failed, so another plan was initiated.
NZoth had long coveted the Emerald Dream; if he could obtain its power, he could break free from his cage and return to the real world.
He bestowed Nightmare Power upon Deathwing and had Elisande come to Swamp of Sorrows to build a temple for Deathwing. Through the temple, Deathwing could infiltrate the Emerald Dream with Nightmare Power, initiating his nightmare plan.
Elisande had heard of Deathwing, and she knew that Deathwing was the Guardian Dragon Neltharion transformed.
Although Deathwing was now only a skeleton, the immense power emanating from him was undeniable. That powerful aura made Elisande feel as if she was facing Gale directly, filling her with extreme dread.
At this moment, Elisande felt incredibly weak. It also made her determined to master powerful abilities to avoid a threatened fate.
Threatened into building the temple, the Naga, though resentful, dared not speak.
Deathwing constantly stared at them; if anyone dared to slack off, a breath of dragonfire would immediately be unleashed. After becoming a Nightmare Dragon, Deathwing's dragonfire contained only Nightmare Power. This dark power was exceptionally potent, capable of directly transforming creatures into nightmare beings.
After the Naga were transformed into nightmare beings, they also became exceptionally powerful. However, they lost their self-awareness, becoming Deathwing's puppets, at his complete mercy.
The Naga were terrified. Though weak now, they at least possessed self-awareness. As intelligent beings, they did not wish to become mindless puppets.
Under Deathwing's threat, the temple's construction accelerated significantly. Six months later, the main hall of the Nightmare Temple was completed, and Deathwing moved in, beginning his invasion of the Emerald Dream with Nightmare Power.
As a former Guardian Dragon, he was very familiar with the Emerald Dream. Thus, the Nightmare Power's invasion proceeded exceptionally smoothly, quickly polluting an entire area.
Ever since being confined to Mount Hyjal by Gale, Malfurion had recognized the disparity between him and Gale. Malfurion acknowledged reality but had no intention of admitting defeat; he planned to find an alternative route, shifting his focus to the Emerald Dream.
The Emerald Dream was the prototype of Azeroth, containing vast spaces and mirroring reality. Based on the World Tree's ability to access the Emerald Dream, Malfurion believed that the Emerald Dream could serve as a springboard, allowing Mount Hyjal to bypass Gale's influence and reach all parts of the world.
Therefore, Malfurion led the Druids into the Emerald Dream, simultaneously searching for ways to heal the world and researching methods to establish teleportation arrays.
Fandral Staghelm was Malfurion's student, possessing extraordinary talent in the Druid path. In less than a thousand years of cultivation, he became a Great Druid. This time, entering the Emerald Dream, Malfurion allowed him to lead a team independently.
Staghelm led the Druids to the southeastern corner of the Emerald Dream. He had an idea: to plant the seed of Nordrassil here in the real world, and then, through the new World Tree, establish a new entrance.
This would not only allow the Emerald Dream's energy to heal the land but also enable Druids to enter the real world through the World Tree. However, there was one problem: when Druids entered the Emerald Dream, their bodies did not accompany them. Emerging from the new World Tree would certainly only involve their souls; their bodies would not be teleported.
Wandering as a soul in a place thousands of miles away was a very dangerous endeavor. Moreover, in a soul state, Druids could not re-enter the Emerald Dream; a powerful individual was required to help the Druid's soul return to the Emerald Dream.
Green Dragons were a good choice. Given the relationship between the Demigod Cenarius and Ysera, it would not be difficult to ask Ysera to dispatch a few Green Dragons to guard these new World Trees, specifically to assist the Druids.
All problems seemed to be resolved, and Staghelm felt it had a certain feasibility.
Just as he was about to report to Malfurion, he sensed that the area he was in seemed to have a problem.
A black energy had invaded the Emerald Dream, and all creatures infected with this black energy lost their minds, beginning to attack every creature they saw. Even when Druids used Beast Calming, they could not pacify them.
The Druids were initially unprepared. After being attacked by those beasts, they too became infected with the black energy. The Druids quickly mutated, their entire bodies turning black, and they began to attack other Druids and creatures.
The black energy was like a plague; all creatures wounded by an infected entity would contract it, becoming like their attackers.
Upon discovering this, Staghelm immediately ordered the Druids not to come into contact with the infected. After trapping all the infected, Staghelm began investigating the cause of the black energy, discovering it was emanating from a swamp.
Staghelm attempted to purify the infected using natural energy, but the results were poor. Although the infected were purified, they would quickly become reinfected, as if the purification could not be completed.
With no other option, Staghelm could only send Druids to report the matter to Malfurion and Aviana.
Malfurion, upon learning of this, immediately set off.
The Son of Nature was also helpless against Nightmare Power; this energy seemed to specifically counter natural energy. Natural energy purification spells could not eradicate Nightmare Power.
Aviana also arrived but had no solution either. Although she was a Demigod, her strength was not great; she was merely a Guardian of Ganil, the Mother Tree, and a messenger for contacting other Demigods.
Malfurion suggested seeking aid from the Green Dragons. Aviana pondered for a moment, then, through Ganil, the Mother Tree's portal, arrived at Sky City and met Aileen.
"Black energy?" Aileen was very curious. While relaying the message to Gale, she called Yī Nǔ Tè, and the two teleported to the Emerald Dream, heading to the polluted area first to investigate.
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