"When will be the right time?" Neltharion sensed the strong threat in Queen Azshara.
If Queen Azshara is truly determined to stop it, the Dragonkin cannot create the Demon Soul. Since this is no longer a secret, the Black Dragon King must listen to Queen Azshara's opinion.
"You must listen to me, Neltharion, you must get my permission, for I am the Queen." Queen Azshara's voice was authoritative and left no room for argument.
Neltharion was puzzled. He believed that the Demon Soul could not defeat Queen Azshara, and that the Highborne had a way to deal with it. This was to be expected, since the Black Dragon King knew the Highborne much better than the Red Dragon Queen.
But why is Azshara's attitude so tough? Why is the usually approachable queen suddenly threatening her? Is there some unknown secret behind this?
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Neltharion's mind: the Old Gods, the Titans, Elune, the Burning Legion. Some thoughts seemed to flash by, but he couldn't quite grasp them.
Seeing that the Black Dragon King remained silent, Queen Azshara's attitude gradually softened. "In return, I will share with you my insights on breaking free from the Old Gods' shackles, hoping it will be of some help to you."
"Thank you for the Queen's gift." Neltharion had no choice but to accept.
After Neltharion left, Azshara City returned to Tranquility. Xavius, deep in thought, sat on the ground, which Robbie and Illidan found strange.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Illidan asked, patting Xavius on the shoulder.
Xavius raised his head, looked at the Metamorphosis body of Prince Farondis beside him, and cautiously said:
"Illidan, Her Majesty the Queen's conversation with Neltharion gave me a clue. Prince Farondis is Highborne. We couldn't find any useful clues in his Metamorphosis body, perhaps because there are no remnants of Old Gods power within him. If the infected are Night Elves from Mount Hyjal, we should make new discoveries."
Xavius was always coming up with new ideas, but his understanding of power couldn't compare to Illidan's, so Illidan had to refine his thinking. After careful consideration, Illidan nodded and said:
"That makes sense. Prince Farondis has a pure Corruption body. The Moon Goddess's power infected him without any resistance. Without resistance, no phenomenon occurred, which is why we didn't discover anything."
Encouraged, Xavius' confidence soared, and his eyes shone brightly as he said:
"Let's assume Elune and the Old Gods are beings of the same level. Then, the mixing of two different powers will inevitably lead to conflict. Just like to understand a person's strength, you can only see them fight against an equally matched opponent. Yes, that's for sure."
Illidan hesitated, saying, "But we need to find someone to test this on, which is somewhat unethical. Although the Night Elves of Mount Hyjal are now a rebel force, they are still our fellow countrymen."
Xavius shook his head and calmly said, "Illidan, don't forget, I am also a member of Mount Hyjal. I haven't cleansed the Power of the Old Gods within me. There is no one more suitable than me."
"You... how can that be?" Illidan exclaimed in surprise, waving his hands repeatedly. "No, absolutely not! There must be another way. Perhaps we can find an animal; many creatures on Mount Hyjal are followers of the Moon Goddess."
Xavius had made up his mind. He shook his head and said, "Illidan, animals are absolutely out of the question. The feelings of the infected are extremely important. Only I can clearly explain the changes they undergo. The animals of Mount Hyjal, or any intelligent creature, cannot do this. I am the most suitable test subject."
"No, no!" Illidan objected firmly. "Do you know how dangerous that is? Corruption and depravity are the most difficult problems to solve in magic. Absolutely not!"
Xavius turned to Robbie: "Robbie, I hope you can help me, like you saved Prince Farondis, to help me Metamorphosis from this Corruption and have a new body."
"It's not that I'm unwilling to help." Robbie frowned and shook his head.
"I've been studying the Holy Light Metamorphosis Runes these past few days. If it's just one Corruption force, I'm confident I can save you. But if two Corrupted Power are mixed together, it becomes much more complicated. No one can predict how the two forces will react, greatly increasing the danger."
Xavius nodded and concluded, "In other words, there's a chance of saving them."
Robbie thought it over carefully, "Your chances of being saved are less than ten percent. The greater chance is that you'll go insane and lose your mind after being saved, and the smaller chance is that you'll degenerate into an unknown creature."
"The progress of magic lies in exploration; a ten percent chance is enough."
Xavius smiled, looked at Illidan, and instructed him:
"Illidan, you are the hope of the Night Elves. Your understanding of magic far surpasses mine. For the sake of the Night Elves, for the sake of Azeroth, you must record all my changes."
"No, Xavius, I can't see my best friend risk his life, I can't! There must be another way!" Illidan cried, desperately trying to stop Xavius.
Unable to break free, Xavius said with a bitter expression:
"Illidan, don't you understand? Why did the Queen make an appointment with the Black Dragon King for the creation of the Demon Soul? Because she was waiting for us. But we still haven't achieved anything, and time is running out. We have failed the Queen, we have failed the Night Elf race. This isn't for myself, nor is it for the Queen; it's for our future, for the Night Elf race to be able to live freely under the stars. Without sacrifice, there will be no discovery."
Illidan was persuaded, but he still refused to give up.
Robbie stepped forward and pried Illidan's arm off. "Illidan, let Xavius do it. I trust he'll be fine."
Illidan sighed heavily. He knew Xavius; he knew that once he made up his mind, he had to get it done.
At the most critical moment, someone needs to step forward and sacrifice for their people.
Xavius was suspended in mid-air, surrounded by various magical observation devices recording everything happening inside his body. He held an earthworm-like worm in his hand, nodded to Illidan, and carefully put it into his mouth.
A crystal ball nearby shows the scene of the worm being swallowed. During the swallowing process, the worm rapidly Metamorphosis. While still in the esophagus, the worm has already successfully shed its shell, which falls into the stomach full of acid. The remaining essence of the worm, however, remains in the esophagus, like a shadow, swimming towards its lungs.
"I think I've already swallowed the worm," Xavius said.
Robbie and Illidan frowned together. The mysterious insect had the ability to deceive; it must be a biological instinct.
The worms quickly entered Xavius's lungs, which became infected and turned grayish-black. These were countless tiny worm eggs that circulated throughout his body via his bloodstream.
Xavius looked puzzled. "My eyesight isn't working well. Everything's blurry, and it's a bit cold."
Inside the crystal ball, it could be seen that the insects were multiplying inside Xavius's body and had already infected his optic nerve.
Because the insects absorbed too much nutrition when they laid eggs, Xavius's skin quickly became wrinkled and as dry as old tree bark.
"I feel weak all over, and my magic is out of control," Xavius said weakly.
Suddenly, a surge of power erupted within Xavius.