"The Undead Legion of the Emperor Deathhoof?"
That was the Legendary Legion in Tauren history, the dark torrent of Kalimdor, Invincible on Azeroth.
If we control this Invincible Legion, we won't need to worry about the Titans, the Void Legion, the Army of the Light, or the Burning Legion.
The Tauren are so confident in their history; our ancestors once dominated the universe.
Rom immediately showed great interest; anyone would be tempted by such an opportunity.
But reason told Rom that everything seemed to be going too smoothly, and he was afraid that the Venture Company might be playing a trick on him.
"Is this statue alright?"
Rom was filled with doubts and asked the Shaman beside him.
The statue of the Death Emperor, carved from a single piece of obsidian, has a weathered look and is an artifact with an ancient history.
The Shaman replied honestly, "Warchief, I inquired with the Earth Elemental, and this statue is indeed over a thousand years old, matching the era of Emperor Deathhoof."
Rom breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "Are there any magical fluctuations, or traps or mechanisms?"
The Shaman shook his head and said solemnly, "Warchief, I swear on this bull's head, it's absolutely not; this is just a piece of obsidian."
Rom circled the statue once, then asked, "Has this Runed Spear been examined?"
The Shaman hesitated for a moment, then said calmly, "Warchief, this Scarlet Runed Spear is strange. We don't recognize the Runes on it. I suspect it might have the same bewitching power as Frostmourne. Please be careful, Warchief."
Rom laughed heartily, "You don't understand. Frostmourne is all a Thrall tactic; Thrall made it up to slander Arthas."
The Shaman quickly bowed his head. "I am foolish and have been fortunate to receive guidance from the Warchief, but this Runed Spear is indeed strange."
Rom cautiously approached the Runed Spear, where a black Rune flickered, and a strange voice whispered in his ear:
"Go back. This is not a place for you. Leave now, get out of here, and never come back."
"Who are you?" Rom asked in surprise.
"You ask who I am?"
Rumble.
Rom felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in his ears; his body floated up, looking down at the earth.
The land was covered with Tauren, with jet-black hair and strong muscles, and they were three times taller than the Tauren of today.
Rom noticed that these Tauren had ferocious faces, blood-red eyes, and spewed black gas from their mouths and noses. Their horns were pierced with the skulls of other races.
Behind the Tauren army lay a city reduced to ruins, engulfed in Flames.
The citizens cried out and wailed amidst the flames; most were Night Elves, but there were also Furbolg, Kobolds, and other races.
A feeling of unease rose in Rom's heart, and he looked up sharply, only to see a towering figure standing before him.
"I am the master of the earth, the spokesperson for death, the son of Earth Mother, the great lord of the Tauren. Where my hooves tread, only death and scorched earth remain. People call me the Hoof of Death. Life vanishes before my eyes, civilization burns to ashes behind me. In my lifetime, I have destroyed 130,000 kingdoms and slaughtered 18 billion lives."
The shadow was exactly the same as the statue inside the cave, its scarlet eyes fixed on Rom.
"Tauren, my blood flows in your veins. Go back. My tragedy must not be repeated. Azeroth needs to recuperate."
Rom was overwhelmed by this imposing presence and knelt down, trembling.
"Ancestor Deathhoof, the Tauren are in dire straits. We are being pitifully treated as food. Please, ancestor, extend a helping hand and save us!"
The shadow shuddered. "The Tauren are in such a sorry state, Earth Mother, out of pity for all living beings, ordered my army of the dead to withdraw from Azeroth on the eve of my destruction of the Night Elf race. I spared them, so why won't they spare the Tauren?"
Rom dared not deceive his ancestor, and sniffled, "Ancestor, it wasn't the Night Elves who bullied the Tauren, but the Orcs. They come from a world called Draenor."
"Orcs, the blood people of Elune?"
The shadow of the Emperor Deathhoof gritted his teeth:
"Damn it, Elune is just the lowest of the Earth Mother's servants, yet she dares to bully us Tauren! Noble Tauren cannot tolerate such humiliation! You should fight bravely, little Tauren."
Rom, his face contorted with bitterness, said tragically, "Warchief, the Orcs are aided not only by Elune, but also by the Burning Legion and the Army of the Light. The Tauren are no match for them."
The Emperor Deathhoof exhaled a black breath, his face contorted in pain:
"Such a thing has happened during my thousand-year slumber. My child, I am trapped in the world of the dead, forced to confront the Void Lords, and unable to enter Azeroth. Take my Runed Spear, and you will command my Undead Legions, fighting for the Tauren, for Azeroth. From this day forward, you will be the Emperor of Azeroth, reigning supreme."
Rom suddenly awoke from his hallucination.
Looking at the Scarlet Runed Spear before him, the pulsating Black Runes calmed down, giving him a sense of familiarity.
Rom had no more doubts and strode forward, but the Shaman beside him quickly grabbed Rom.
"Warchief, you must think twice! The Runed Spear is not to be touched."
Rom heeded the advice and roared, "Get out of my way! Do you want to stop the rise of the Tauren?"
Rom kicked aside the Shaman blocking his way and took the Scarlet Runed Spear from the statue.
Rom felt a jolt, as if his body had fallen into an ice cellar, and when he looked at his arms, he saw that countless black hairs had grown out.
The Shaman got up from the ground and saw that Rom had already picked up the Runed Spear, and he stomped his feet in anger.
"You will destroy Thunder Bluff."
The Shaman whispered a few words to his colleagues, and they hurriedly left, leaving only Rom inside the cave.
At this moment, his body began to Metamorphosis. First, his body swelled up, becoming three times taller than before.
Immediately afterwards, his eyes turned blood red, black breath billowed from his mouth and nose, and black fur covered his entire body, gradually revealing a ferocious nature.
"This feeling is just wonderful."
Rom laughed heartily, gradually losing his mind and descending into madness.
The Shaman returned to Thunder Bluff and shouted:
"Run! Our chieftain has gone mad! Thunder Bluff is about to be destroyed!"
Upon hearing this, Thunder Bluff descended into chaos, and Tauren asked:
"The area Thunder Bluff is Plague. How do we escape?"
A Shaman said regretfully:
"Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you all anymore. Someone left us a few Portal Scrolls to help us escape, but we didn't use them to maintain stability. Now that disaster is imminent, let's all escape together."
The Shaman opened Portals on several high grounds in Thunder Bluff.
Surprisingly, after the initial mass exodus, most of the Tauren chose to wait and see.
The Shaman sighed and lamented, but there was nothing they could do.
The Tauren are used to being governed by Warchief; most of them lack a clear understanding of the situation and have no independent judgment.
After the Shaman left, the Portal slowly closed.
Approximately one-fifth of the Tauren left Thunder Bluff.
A dark cloud suddenly appeared in the sky, and Rom, wielding Scarlet Runed Spear and exuding an aura of darkness, jumped off the airship.
"Tauren, accept the baptism of death."