The Great Sundering

Thanks to the orc warrior Brox's sacrifice in buying time, the Dark Titan Sargeras's approach toward the portal was slightly delayed.

In the sky, Neltharion finally smashed through the barrier, seized the Dragon Soul in his claws, and burst into mad laughter. Then he turned to look at the other three Dragon Aspects. The Timeless One, Nozdormu, was still nowhere to be found.

"From now on, all dragons will obey me! From now on, I am the only Dragon King! The supreme Dragon King!"

Malygos, the Blue Dragon King and guardian of magic, looked on with concern and roared at Neltharion: "What are you doing, my brother? Put down the Dragon Soul at once! You've been corrupted!"

Neltharion gave him a cold glare. "You dare speak to your king like that? You will be punished!" He raised the Dragon Soul, and a golden light burst forth, streaking toward the Blue Dragon Legion. The blue dragons screamed in agony as their bodies slowly dissolved, as if they had never existed.

"No, no, no... What have you done? What have you done, Neltharion!" The Blue Dragon King Malygos stared at Neltharion in disbelief, roaring in denial.

Just then, a frantic whispering echoed in Neltharion's mind. He recognized it—the voice of the Old Gods. What? You want me to put the Dragon Soul back into the portal? Don't even think about it. This is mine!

Seeing Neltharion's stubborn refusal, the Old Gods' whispers grew urgent and furious.

Hu Feng casually fired a Void Arrow at Mannoroth, then turned to look at Neltharion, his grin widening. The Old Gods couldn't resist showing themselves, but they knew Hu Feng was here, so they were desperate to leave. When Neltharion remained unmoved, their whispers abruptly ceased. A beam of void energy shot up from the Well of Eternity, striking Neltharion. The attack was no weaker than the Dark Titan's blow. Neltharion was hit hard, sent flying backward, and the Dragon Soul slipped from his grasp. Malfurion leaped up and snatched the Dragon Soul.

At that moment, the figure in the portal had reached its edge, one leg stepping through. Everyone saw the Dark Titan's true form—perfect yet evil. Fel energy had twisted this Titan God, but traces of his former divinity remained. On the armor of his leg was a small crack, a mark shaped like an axe.

"That's Brox... He did it... He struck a god and wounded him..." Rhonin murmured, staring at the Dark Titan.

"Attack the portal! We can't let him cross over!" Krasus roared.

Malfurion raised the Dragon Soul, and a golden beam shot toward the portal. The portal began to destabilize, violently contracting. The Dark Titan Sargeras bellowed in fury, gripping both sides of the rift with his hands, using sheer brute force to hold the spatial tear open as he tried to step through.

Despair washed over the group. Then Hu Feng slowly floated upward, pointing his staff at Sargeras.

"It's time for you to go home, my brother." Black void energy surged forward like a tidal wave. Sargeras felt a sudden tremor in his heart.

Danger! There was danger?

He was struck hard by the void energy, stumbling back several steps. The struck area was a bloody mess, golden blood mixed with fel-green flowing out. He could no longer hold the portal; the spatial rift was collapsing rapidly. The outcome was sealed.

Through the collapsing portal, Sargeras looked at Hu Feng, who gazed back calmly.

"Who are you? Who are you, really? This shouldn't be. I cannot fail. It's all you! You! Who! Are! You!"

But Sargeras got no answer. The portal collapsed to a point, and a pull emerged—but only for demons. The demons of the Burning Legion were lifted uncontrollably into the air, sucked toward the portal. The Defiler Archimonde roared in fury, struggling to stay on the ground, but soon he too was hurled into the sky and plunged headfirst into the portal.

The demons were swept clean, but the Well of Eternity churned even more violently. Waves of raw, violent energy radiated uncontrollably.

The earth was tearing apart.

The Great Sundering had come.

"Go! Get out of here! Retreat! Retreat! Fall back!" Krasus shouted as he ran toward a dragon, swung himself onto its back. The others snapped to their senses, mounted dragons, and soared into the sky. The Night Elf resistance forces, now informed, were retreating at full speed.

The sky darkened. The capital, Eldarath, was now completely submerged in seawater. The land shattered—a scene of apocalyptic devastation. The group watched in sorrow from the sky, but their grief was interrupted by a thunderous roar. A massive city rose from the distant earthquake, slowly ascending into the sky. A hemispherical purple arcane shield reflected the sunlight, strikingly visible and awe-inspiring.

"That's Suramar City..." The group stared blankly at Hu Feng.

Elisande, Krasus, and Rhonin had known about this beforehand, but they were still deeply shaken.

Hu Feng smiled and spoke: "Alright, everyone, let's rest at Suramar City first. Let me play the host, and then we'll regroup with our army."

A very silent banquet began. The group leaned against the railing at the edge of Suramar City, watching the land below continuously break and tear apart, saying nothing.

The continent had split into four pieces, along with many small islands, now drifting north, south, east, and west under the push of the Endless Sea. Suramar City flew slowly toward the Kalimdor Continent, heading for the elven army's position. The elven army was currently stationed in a place called Ashenvale. The former command post, Blackrock Hold, had been destroyed, drifting south with the broken continent, so the elves were slowly withdrawing to the Darkshore and Ashenvale regions.

Dath'Remar Sunstrider slowly walked up behind Hu Feng and bowed. "After so long, this is our first meeting. Greetings, Your Holiness the Envoy. I knew the God of Magic would never abandon his faithful followers."

Hu Feng turned to face Dath'Remar. "I suspect you didn't come just to meet me, did you? Let me guess—you think I've taken full control of Suramar City, so the once-dominant Sunstrider family is now in an awkward position, am I right?"

Dath'Remar smiled and nodded. "Yes, Your Holiness. But please don't misunderstand. I've come to say that you saved Suramar City, and under your rule, it will surely revive. The Highborne of Suramar fought alongside the Elven Allied Forces, so there's no issue. As for us, our kin likely won't accept us anymore. So I've decided to take my family and leave Kalimdor, cross the sea, and find a new home."

Hu Feng looked at Dath'Remar with some surprise. "Do you realize this is self-exile? The continent across the ocean is a completely unknown land. You might die there."

But Dath'Remar nodded firmly: "I'd rather take the risk than be constrained and suspected."

Hu Feng nodded. "Then I wish you well. As long as you keep your faith in the God of Magic, your family will prosper forever."

A few days later, Suramar City rendezvoused with the elven army at Darnassus. After a brief stir, things settled peacefully. When the Night Elves learned that Dath'Remar had taken his Sunstrider family across the sea to seek a new home, they felt a surge of satisfaction.

Indeed, the Sunstrider family was not Suramar City. The Highborne of Suramar, under the Envoy's leadership, fought alongside them as kin.

But the Sunstrider family were merely loyal dogs of Queen Azshara. They deserved exile.

However, what happened next infuriated the elves. Illidan had secretly taken a vial of water from the Well of Eternity and poured it into a lake in Darnassus, creating a new mini Well of Eternity!

The Night Elves' current rulers were three: Garrith Shadowsong controlled the army. Tyrande became the High Priestess, leading the Temple of the Moon. And Malfurion became the Archdruid. The Night Elves would abandon magic and embrace the druidic path of nature.

Illidan's actions enraged his brother Malfurion. A trial was held, and Illidan was sentenced to eternal imprisonment. Garrith Shadowsong's sister, Maiev Shadowsong, was appointed to guard him, and the Warden Force was established.

As for the new Well of Eternity, Malfurion and the Forest Demigod Cenarius planted a great tree atop it. This colossal, sky-piercing tree was named the World Tree Teldrassil.

The four Dragon Aspects descended and bestowed their blessings:

The Red Dragon Queen granted the tree eternal life—as long as the tree stood, the Night Elves would be immortal.

The Bronze Dragon King granted the tree stilled time—the Night Elves would never age, forever youthful.

The Green Dragon Queen granted the tree beautiful dreams, directly connected to the Emerald Dream—the Night Elves would know no fear, only good dreams, and druids could enter the Emerald Dream to cultivate.

The Blue Dragon King Malygos granted the tree magical stability—the land would be eternally mild and temperate.

Thus, the Night Elves would rebuild their new capital, Darnassus, atop the World Tree and flourish once more.

Hu Feng stood nearby with Krasus and Rhonin, witnessing this historic moment.

After the ritual concluded, the four Guardian Dragons approached the trio, and Krasus and Rhonin were set to return to the future. But at that moment, the four Guardian Dragon Kings stared at Hu Feng as if they'd seen a ghost.

"Alright, alright, stop gawking and get on with your business. Oh, by the way, I'll hold onto the Dragon Soul for you—I've been needing a magic lamp for light. You don't mind, do you?"

"No, no... not at all... So it was you who repelled the Dark Titan... That explains it... But when did you return? Is it just you, or..."

"Don't ask what you shouldn't. This is merely my avatar. We'll meet again in the future, but for now, I'll either slumber or continue my journey." Hu Feng then looked at Krasus and Rhonin. "Well then, farewell, you two. See you in the future."

Krasus and Rhonin bid Malfurion and Tyrande goodbye. Nozdormu, the Guardian of Time, let out a dragon's roar, then seemed to think it a bit too bold and nervously glanced at Hu Feng's expression. The latter waved a hand, and the two men and one dragon slowly faded into the air.

"Work hard—I've got my eye on you, little dragons," Hu Feng said with a teasing smile. The remaining three Guardian Dragon Kings nodded frantically, then fled the place as if their lives depended on it.

Malfurion and Tyrande, meanwhile, stood there tense and uneasy. This lord wasn't some damn divine envoy—he was the Titan God's avatar in the mortal realm...

"Alright, I should be going too. I'll place Suramar City right next to Teldrassil. The Highborne won't bother you; the Council of Truth will govern the city."

Hu Feng watched the couple nod vigorously and continued, "Remember, the Highborne are still your kin. Don't harbor discrimination or hatred. Though they're not under your rule, both sides must work together to develop. Got it? Now then, I, Sargeras, God of Magic and Eternity, decree that you and Garrith Shadowsong shall jointly rule the Night Elves. This is the Titan's appointment."

A flash of teleportation magic appeared, and Hu Feng's figure slowly vanished. "Oh, right, I still prefer being called Hu Feng. Remember, the Titan has returned to the cosmos, leaving only the divine envoy Hu Feng behind."

Malfurion and Tyrande quickly knelt to accept the decree.

******

The capital, Eldarath, now reduced to ruins, was being dragged into the depths by the raging seawater.

The handmaidens panicked. Lady Vashj, the head handmaiden, drew her longsword and ran through a fleeing servant without hesitation.

"What's the fuss? How dare you act so insolently before the Queen!"

Queen Azshara nodded faintly. Even now, she refused to face her defeat, sitting before an ornate mirror, adorning her peerless beauty.

"The gods will descend soon. I must greet them in my most radiant form..."

Just then, a thunderous crash echoed. The Queen's chamber, finally unable to bear the strain, collapsed violently and was dragged into the violent sea.

Azshara clawed at her throat in agony, unable to breathe. Lady Vashj clung tightly to her, both struggling futilely in the water.

Whispers sounded in Queen Azshara's ears. The beings promised her immense power and a new form if she would serve them.

Azshara agreed. Intense pain wracked her body. She could feel herself twisting, deforming. A long tail grew, her lungs turned to gills, and her silvery, radiant hair became a writhing mass of venomous snakes.

The whispers came again:

You are Naga Queen Azshara. You shall serve the Old Gods.