The Greymane Wall remained closed, as neither Jiang Jie nor Lord Darius wanted to disturb the powerful Undead figures of Gilneas.
Jiang Jie's goal this time was clear: he wanted to find King Genn and the other Worgen and bring them back, rather than confront Arthas's Scourge directly.
He doesn't want to die!
Jiang Jie, along with five Druid, four minor Elemental Spirits, and all the Worgen, including Prince Liam, traveled along Greymane Wall to the easternmost mountain range. They then transformed into Animal Form and, under the cover of night, relied on the power of the four minor Elemental Spirits to scale Greymane Wall and arrive at the Gilneas Peninsula.
Gilneas Peninsula is vast, Jiang Jie couldn't possibly search it all. He had once told King Genn that there was a Tree of Life in the southern Blackwald, where many Nightbane grew. If King Genn were still alive, that would be the most likely place he would go.
The stag ran across the land, followed by five cheetahs and four Elemental Spirits, and behind them were more than three hundred moonlit wolves.
Velinde did not bring all the Worgen; some remained in Felwood fighting the demons. Malfurion was already aware of the Worgen ' existence, and considering that Velinde had received the blessings of the Moon Goddess and the Wolf God and was capable of controlling Worgen, he allowed them to roam Felwood for the time being.
The speedboat Jaina left for Jiang Jie was too small to carry nearly two thousand Worgen. Jiang Jie planned to bring them all over later, so that the Worgen would have a safe haven where they would not be disturbed by anyone and would not disturb anyone.
Heading south from Emberstone Village, this area has truly become the domain of the Undead. Traces of the Undead are everywhere, and battles are inevitable. Ordinary humans would find it very difficult to reach this place, as these Undead are not easy to deal with.
However, there weren't too many Undead in the wild. The heaviest aura of death was concentrated in Gilneas City. According to Lord Darius, at least 300,000 Undead were gathered in that city of the dead, and Naxxramas was also floating in the clouds above the city.
Instead of taking the main road, they traversed the wilderness, following the universal truth that "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line."
Jiang Jie had expected to encounter danger, thinking there should at least be Gargoyle or Frost Wyrm patrolling the sky at all times, but surprisingly there were none, which was very strange.
Unless Arthas has some crucial deployment that requires a large number of Gargoyle and Frost Wyrm, he wouldn't have moved them all away.
Jiang Jie came from the Greymane Wall, where there were no large numbers of Gargoyle or Frost Wyrm.
So, what other places would Arthas have his eye on?
The Blackwald in the south? Kul Tiras, the maritime kingdom in the southwest? Or Southshore, across the sea to the east?
A shadow fell over Jiang Jie's heart; something terrible was about to happen.
Animal Form very fast, and just as dawn was breaking, they finally arrived at the Stormglen.
Standing on the sea cliff and looking west, Jiang Jie's expression changed slightly.
He saw that the southern gates of Gilneas City had been opened, and hordes of Undead were swarming toward the Blackwald, like a giant centipede on the black earth!
However, there were no Gargoyle or Frost Wyrm; they were all ground troops.
Gargoyle are somewhat better off, but the Frost Wyrm have no way to fight effectively in such a dense forest; the forest is forbidden territory for them. Flying in the sky Frost Breath, they can't attack enemies below through the dense canopy, and entering the forest is impossible—they're too big, which is quite awkward.
This was normal, but it also made Jiang Jie suspicious: So where did those Gargoyle and Frost Wyrm go?
"Is the Scourge going to attack the Blackwald? It seems there's still resistance in the Blackwald. Are they surviving Gilneas? Or Worgen?" Jiang Jie let out a deer's cry and then charged into the Blackwald.
The environment of the Blackwald is somewhat similar to that of the current Tirisfal Glades; places contaminated by the Scourge Plague all look like this, appearing gray and gloomy.
Like being shrouded in a natural Shroud of Darkness, visibility is very low even in broad daylight. Every breath carries a large number of viruses and bacteria. People who live here for a long time will find their physical condition deteriorating, then they will get sick, then die, and then become Undead. It is no longer Blackwald, but a black miasma forest.
"This is... the scent of Worgen! Nicholas, there are many Worgen in this forest, at least a thousand!" A she-wolf came to Jiang Jie's side and hissed softly, her voice clear and melodious.
Her response was the gentle cry of deer.
"I sensed a very powerful life force, the aura of the Tree of Life! A Druid actually planted the Tree of Life here? The power of the Emerald Dream flows from it, giving this plague-stricken forest a clean place to live!" A cheetah walked gracefully to Jiang Jie's side; it was Broll Bearmantle.
"That's Tal'doren, the Home of the Wild... Let's go there!" Jiang Jie rushed towards the very center of the Blackwald.
"The situation... is getting increasingly serious."
Inside the spacious tree hollow, everything was in disarray.
King Genn sat on a wooden chest, holding two pieces of moldy bread in one hand and a wooden cup in the other. He scooped water from a nearby bucket and drank it all in one gulp.
He devoured the bread in a few bites, wiped his mouth, stood up, and walked outside the tree hollow. He stood side-by-side with the graceful priestess, looking north, his voice hoarse. "Food is running out, and clean water is almost gone! When will this end!"
The priestess calmly said, " Genn, don't be discouraged. Don't let the Wolf God's power control you. Learn to calm the Worgen's Rage. We will win. Elune is watching us. You've all drunk the Nightbane Potion and emerged from your inner shadows, which is good. Continue gathering supplies. I'm already trying to contact Tyrande. The Priestess of the Moon and the Druid will arrive soon. They will purify this forest. Hold on, just a little longer."
"Hold on! Hold on! Belysra, all I've heard these days is 'Hold on!' But how can we hold on? That bastard Arthas has already launched six attacks, and the Bloodfang Worgen of Ralaar have discovered us! How many of us are there? Less than a hundred conscious Worgen, two hundred fully armed soldiers, and over three thousand refugees with us!"
Genn gritted his teeth and suddenly slammed his fist into a tree trunk. The hard, dry bark cracked and fell away, just like Genn's current mood. " Belysra, we can't hold on any longer! I've decided to break out! Three days, just three days! After three days, I'll lead them north, along Emberstone Village to Greymane Wall! That Darius guy won't abandon us!"
" The Undead are constantly on our guard. Gargoyle and Frost Wyrm fly through the skies day and night. Arthas and Kel'Thuzad are watching this place. Genn, we have the advantage in the forest, but once we leave, we'll be exposed to the Gargoyle and Frost Wyrm. We have no chance."
Belysra glanced at the human king beside him, then looked west. "The owner of the Scythe of Elune has appeared, she will definitely come here! With the Scythe of Elune, I am confident I can deal with Ralaar! By integrating the Bloodfang Worgen, we will have nothing to fear from the Undead."
"No, only three days, Belysra! If the situation doesn't change within three days, I must lead my people to break out!" Genn looked north, a chilling glint in his eyes. " Liam, my child... I wonder how he is! Nicholas, have you found him yet!"
He was always thinking about his child!
A month ago, he finally emerged from the shadows in his heart and was able to stay clear-headed. He wanted to go Greymane Wall to find his son, but by then a large number of refugees had gathered near the Tree of Life. He couldn't abandon his people, so he stayed behind.
Belysra turned to look at Genn, a hint of anxiety in her eyes.
She was actually unable to contact Tyrande or any other Night Elf, and her prayers for the Moon Goddess's help went unanswered.
Three months ago, she was traveling through Duskwood, hoping to see the legendary Karazhan. Then she heard that there were traces of Worgen in Gilneas, so she traveled north for a month before finally arriving here. She then Gilneas and discovered the Worgen.
She even sensed the presence of the "alpha wolf," Ralaar.
She knew that the person was completely blinded by hatred and beyond redemption, so she could only do her best to help the other Worgen overcome their inner shadows and regain their sanity, hoping to use this power to deal with Ralaar.
But unexpectedly, Ralaar was no longer the same as it was ten thousand years ago.
He truly became a wolf, possessing the wolf's agility, cunning, patience, and wisdom.
He established the " Cult of the Wolf," who called themselves " Bloodfang Worgen." They were cruel and cunning, and they searched for survivors throughout Gilneas, then converted them into Bloodfang Worgen.
He remained calm and patient, steadily accumulating strength.
On the contrary, Genn was once the king of mankind, was not calm enough because he had not yet fully controlled the wild power within him.
Belysra knew that Genn was no match for Ralaar; her only hope now lay in the Scythe of Elune.
A month ago, she sensed that the Scythe of Elune had a new master, and a true master at that, blessed by the Moon Goddess and the Wolf God. Only that scythe could deal with Ralaar, but she didn't know how long she would have to wait.
Will she be able to wait any longer?
"Awoo!"
Suddenly, a mournful wolf howl came from the north, and Belysra's expression changed.
"Damn it! Damn Arthas! He's attacked again! This is the seventh time! Arthas, I'll tear you apart sooner or later!" Genn crouched forward, transforming into a Great Wolf, and then leaped onto a branch of the Tree of Life, howling at the moon.
He is summoning a pack of wolves.
The battle has begun!