Ner'zhul flew out.
Rulkan's powerful kick demonstrated his superb leg skills and his determination to drive away Ner'zhul.
Ner'zhul flew out face down, and as he approached the highest point, he managed to turn around with difficulty, proving that he had successfully used the momentum before being kicked away, and finally ended up landing on his buttocks.
The flesh on the buttocks is the thickest, providing excellent cushioning. Ner'zhul reacted correctly in an instant, either because he was a top-notch expert or highly experienced.
Unfortunately, Ner'zhul landed on a sharp rock, wincing in pain, tears welling in his eyes.
If Grimak and Garrosh hadn't been watching, she would have already burst into tears.
Upon seeing the presence of outsiders, Ner'zhul stood up as if nothing had happened, dusted himself off, and wore a nonchalant expression, though sweat beaded on his forehead.
Ner'zhul was quite old, wearing a tattered leather coat, his skin an unhealthy gray from years of living in darkness.
Rulkan removed the animal hide blocking the cave entrance, revealing himself adorned with jewels and exquisitely crafted fangs inlaid with fine gems. He tossed out several items while cursing and swearing.
A tattered bedding set, and several bottles and jars containing unknown medicines.
Ner'zhul treasured one of the tattered black animal hides covered in writing, carefully keeping it as if it were his own life.
Garrosh stepped forward. "Ner'zhul, let's talk!"
"Who are you?" Ner'zhul stared wide-eyed at Garrosh.
Ner'zhul had a large frame, and although his muscles were soft and lacked definition, he was about the same size as Garrosh and was in no way inferior in terms of imposing presence.
"I am Ner'zhul, the infamous Dark Shaman of the Shadowmoon Clan. Beware of your soul!" Ner'zhul said arrogantly.
Garrosh took a step back and said with a smile, "The person I want to talk to you about is this important figure."
He then pointed at Grimak.
Garrosh was quite interested to see how Ner'zhul would maintain his pride in front of a high-ranking Ogre.
Ner'zhul carefully examined Grimak, immediately spotting several valuable magical rings. Ner'zhul took a few quick steps and knelt down with a thud:
"Master!"
Humble and obsequious, Garrosh felt a wave of dizziness wash over him; the Orcs's dignity shattered into a million pieces.
Grimak smiled and nodded, looking Ner'zhul up and down.
"Yes, you're the person I've been looking for. Come with me."
Grimak led Ner'zhul and Garrosh to the mountaintop, pointed to the Shadowmoon Clan Orcs settlements below, where villages were scattered like stars, and said loudly:
"Ner'zhul, have you ever thought about becoming the Warchief of these Orcs and realizing your life's purpose?"
Ner'zhul shook his head, conflicted. "I'm not some kind of warrior. Orcs chieftains are made through battle."
Grimak said seriously, "You possess a powerful dark force hidden within you, but you don't know how to use it."
Ner'zhul scratched his head in distress, hesitated for a long time, and then stammered:
"I do know some Shaman magic, but it's the most useless thing: communicating with the spirits of our ancestors. Other Shaman might be able to summon wind and rain, or heal their people, but I can't do any of that."
Grimak's lips curled slightly. "You don't need to hide anything from me; I have no respect for your meager skills."
Ner'zhul lowered his head in shame and humbly said:
"Alright, I'll confess everything. When I was young, I accidentally obtained a black animal hide left behind by a dead Shaman. It contained a method for communicating with the souls of our ancestors. The hide said that as long as we summoned the soul of the Ancient Beast Emperor, we could control the Dark Star. I researched it for over thirty years and successfully summoned the Ancestral Spirit, but not the Ancient Beast Emperor."
Grimak had no intention of revealing the truth, calmly stating:
"With your abilities, you couldn't summon the Ancient Beast Emperor even after ten thousand years of effort. Why not give up this hopeless fantasy and focus on the present? Have you tried devouring the Ancestral Spirit?"
Ner'zhul was stunned. He had never imagined that the Ancestral Spirit could be devoured, after all, this was an offense against his ancestors.
Grimak explained, "The so-called Ancestral Spirit are just unconscious remnants of souls. You devour them, allowing them to continue contributing, and that is true respect for your ancestors."
There was no convincing reason, but Ner'zhul accepted it.
Without delay, with Grimak's help, Ner'zhul immediately began to devour the Ancestral Spirit.
A multitude of gray Ancestral Spirit screamed as they burrowed into Ner'zhul's body. His previously loose muscles gradually bulged, and his gray skin slowly turned into a luminous bronze. Ner'zhul opened his eyes, and his previously dull pupils became radiant.
"How are you feeling?" Grimak asked.
"I feel an explosive power within me, enough to defeat a Gronn."
Ner'zhul was full of confidence, and his entire demeanor changed, transforming from timid and hesitant to dignified and imposing.
Grimak chuckled and said, "This is just the beginning. The Ancestral Spirit has many other uses, but right now your priority is to defeat the Shadowmoon Clan chieftain and take his place."
Ner'zhul lowered his gaze, looking away, with an expression that suggested he wanted to say something but couldn't.
Grimak and Garrosh were completely baffled. After a long while, Ner'zhul finally spoke:
"But the chieftain of the Shadowmoon Clan is my wife, Rulkan."
Grimak was slightly surprised, raised his eyebrows, and said nothing more. Garrosh, however, was not having it and roared:
"A woman as Warchief? What kind of rule is this? Have all the men of the Shadowmoon Clan died out?"
Ner'zhul whispered, "They can't beat Rulkan."
Just thinking about Rulkan's brilliant kick, his legwork as swift as the wind, made Garrosh's skin crawl.
Grimak shrugged and said, "The choice is yours. Perhaps it wouldn't be bad for you two to govern the Shadowmoon Clan together."
Garrosh disagrees:
"No, listen to me, this concerns the dignity of the Orcs. If this continues, where will we Orcs put our faces? You must kill Rulkan. Once you become chieftain, you'll have as many female Orcs as you want, and they 'Orcs be completely obedient to you. I have the most experience in this area."
Ner'zhul was convinced, Grimak shook his head:
"Killing him is too much. If you truly have no feelings for each other, simply expel him; there's no need to go to such extremes."
In the Shadowmoon Clan, Ner'zhul, though a useless Shaman, possessed mysterious Shaman arts, which made him worthy of attention and a strong contender for chieftainship; otherwise, Rulkan wouldn't have married him.
According to the rules of the Shadowmoon Clan, the transformed Ner'zhul defeated Rulkan in public.
Rulkan did not beg for mercy, nor did he back down. He cursed and swore, then left with a few trusted followers, vowing to take revenge.
In a daze, Garrosh understood some historical truths.
In Garrosh's Timeline, it's said that Ner'zhul's wife, Rulkan, died of illness, and there are also rumors that the two had a close relationship, with Rulkan's spirit often comforting Ner'zhul.
It all seems to be a lie now; the truth is that Ner'zhul killed Rulkan in order to seize the position of Warchief.
In this Timeline, things changed; because of Grimak, Rulkan was only expelled.
Looking at Ner'zhul, who had become Warchief, Garrosh asked:
How are you feeling?
Ner'zhul, "I feel like this is what true living is."