Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
Under a bright moon and sparse stars, Chen Stormstout, stealthily approached the statues of the August Celestials.
Who would have thought that the Heart of Y'Shaarj was hidden beneath the statues of the August Celestials?
The Pandaren have an unparalleled reverence for the August Celestials. The statues of the August Celestials, which have stood for thousands of years, are practically their spiritual faith and are absolutely not to be desecrated.
Although Chen Stormstout was knowledgeable and had no respect for the August Celestials, he dared not be negligent and covered his face to avoid being discovered by others and incurring the wrath of his clansmen.
With light steps, Chen Stormstout followed the order taught by Ra-den in his dream, patting the tip of the tail of the August Celestials statues. In order not to leave any marks, he used his Chi to avoid direct contact between his palms and the statues.
"This is?"
To Chen Stormstout's surprise, there were claw marks left on the spot where he had slapped the liquor.
Judging from the shape of the paw print, it's a Pandaren. The paw print is very fresh, it should have just been left. Judging from the marks, the person has abundant true Chi, they are a master.
Chen Stormstout's heart sank. It seemed that the person who Ra-den in his dream was not just Chen Stormstout, but also other powerful Pandaren.
Who could it be?
Chen Stormstout became increasingly cautious, and after repeatedly striking his handprints, a Secret Passage silently appeared, its dark entrance resembling the mouth of Demons.
Quietly sneaking into the Secret Passage, Chen Stormstout descended the winding staircase, his footsteps as light as possible, trying to avoid making a sound.
Shortly after entering the underground palace, the entrance closed silently, but it didn't matter. Chen Stormstout had already noticed that the entrance could be opened from the inside.
With his eyes focused on his Chi, Chen Stormstout clearly saw the entire underground palace. It had a distinct Mogu style, with empty caves and ventilation holes. Dozens of tall statues stood on the ground, many of which were dilapidated due to lack of maintenance.
Two faint footprints were left in the dust on the ground, clearly indicating that this was a master. Although he did not intend to hide his tracks, his lightness skill had reached a state of returning to simplicity.
"He's a master."
As Chen Stormstout through the shadows between the statues, the names of the Pandaren masters flashed through his mind.
Azeroth is far too dangerous; a single misstep could lead to death. Chen Stormstout decided to test the waters first.
Hidden in the shadows, Chen Stormstout used his clone technique, the clone stealthily slipping through the gaps between the statues.
A gust of wind swept in from the side, its target being the clone. Chen Stormstout, secretly pleased, knew the clone was prepared and met the attack with a palm strike that had been gathering power for a long time.
Bang!
The two Pandaren's claws collided, and both clones shattered simultaneously.
Interesting! Chen Stormstout was secretly surprised; this person was actually evenly matched with him.
Thinking back to the palm Chen Stormstout felt a sense of familiarity.
From deep within the group of statues, a hearty voice rang out. "Chen Stormstout, long time no see. It seems your skills haven't diminished at all since becoming Undead."
Although the man deliberately concealed his voice, Chen Stormstout, noticed something amiss in the fist technique and chuckled:
"Taran Zhu Master Zhu Talan, since we have given our names and are known as the Southern Chen and Northern Zhu, why don't we come out and have a chat?"
Among the group of statues, Taran Zhu, walked out laughing.
Since there were no outsiders Chen Stormstout removed the black cloth from his face and appeared with a smile.
Taran Zhu clasped his hands in a fist salute. "Chen Stormstout, back then we fought a great battle atop the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. We were evenly matched, and our talents were unmatched, leaving behind a legendary tale. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to learn from you."
Chen Stormstout's competitive spirit surged. At the top of Vale of Eternal Blossoms, everyone thought the two were evenly matched, but little did they know that Chen Stormstout's power had been sealed by Xuen, making him only one-tenth of his peak strength.
After achieving the status of the Undead, although his strength inevitably declined, the seal was broken, resulting in a balance of advancement and retreat, giving him about half of his peak strength.
Defeating Taran Zhu should be more than enough, Chen Stormstout suddenly frowned, sensing that Taran Zhu's aura was somewhat different.
"Master Zhu, you seem to have made even greater progress since our last meeting."
Taran Zhu with pride, said, "The Lorewalker Cho used the Sha's power to bewitch the Shado-Pan Monastery. I was caught off guard and suffered greatly as a result. Fortunately, I was rescued by the adventurers sent by the August Celestials. I received the blessing of the August Celestials, and I can be said to have just begun to understand the power of the Unity of Heaven and Humanity."
Chen Stormstout asked bluntly, "Master Zhu, have you come for the Heart of Y'Shaarj?"
Taran Zhu nodded. "That's right, as long as I fuse with the Heart of Y'Shaarj, I can reclaim the Shado-Pan Monastery."
Chen Stormstout clenched his fists. "Very well, let's have a contest. Whoever wins takes the Heart of Y'Shaarj."
That's exactly what I was thinking.
The two Pandaren martial arts masters simultaneously used their lightness skills to fly into the air, exchanging punches and kicks. Taran Zhu Talan used Shado-Pan Fist, with countless fist shadows, as fast as Lightning. Chen Stormstout used his self-created Thirty-Six Forms of Drunken Master Fist, which was both offensive and defensive, and had no flaws.
After a long and fierce battle, the two exchanged positions. Both were breathing normally and showed no signs of fatigue. Their previous exchange was merely a test.
"Is this the power of the Unity of Heaven and Humanity? If I were at my peak..." Chen Stormstout sighed, shaking his head regretfully.
Taran Zhu sneered, "Everyone says you're a martial arts prodigy, but it seems you're nothing special."
Both men focused their attention and prepared to unleash their true killing moves.
A slender figure floated in and stood between the two. She was a female Pandaren, her face covered with a black cloth.
"Martial arts masters are nothing but a bunch of useless trash."
The female Pandaren threw a punch at Taran Zhu. Taran Zhu sensed the ferocity of the punch and dared not be careless. He raised both fists to meet the attack, but the punch was both fast and fierce. Taran Zhu's body flew backward and crashed heavily into the statue of the Mogu.
The female Pandaren raised her foot to kick Chen Stormstout. Chen Stormstout dared not take the kick head-on and dodged it. Unexpectedly, the woman changed her move midway and swept her leg with a whip kick. Chen Stormstout was hit hard and flew away like a kite with a broken string. Fortunately, he was Undead, so his injury was not serious.
"Are you convinced or not?" the woman shouted.
The Pandaren- woman Taran Zhu Talan and kicked Chen Stormstout, both men utterly horrified. Who was this woman?
Chen Stormstout looked at the surrounding Mogu statues and said with a wry smile, "Master Zhu, I'm afraid we've all fallen into their trap."
Taran Zhu blinked. "I see. In my dream, Ra-den told me that Lei Shen didn't know about the existence of the Heart of Darkness. There are Mogu statues everywhere here, how could the Heart of Darkness be hidden in a place like this?"
The Pandaren woman chuckled, "That's right, it was I who used the Nightmare spell; I'm the one who tricked you all into coming here."
"Who exactly are you?" Taran Zhu asked, unwilling to give up.
The Pandaren woman's voice choked with emotion as she asked, "Do you still remember the Swiftcloud Sect?"
Taran Zhu and Chen Stormstout were both shocked. The Swiftcloud Sect was a taboo among the Pandaren; even mentioning the sect's name was forbidden.
When the Pandaren were oppressed by the Orcs and reduced to food, the Swiftcloud Sect raised the banner of resistance. However, the four Pandaren monasteries, together with the Shado-Pan Monastery, wiped out the Swiftcloud Sect overnight.
The female Pandaren removed the black cloth from her face, revealing a beautiful face:
"Jiyun Ailin, one of the leaders of Warchief Garrosh's special forces, codename Qingluan."