Hydra City
When the Well of Eternity was destroyed, the magically charged waters of the well exploded violently. The explosion had a wide reach and was incredibly powerful. The release of energy was so complete that it utterly destroyed the spatial crystal wall, shattered the boundaries of time and space, and blasted a gap between the Prime Material Plane and the Elemental Plane.
By a great coincidence or perhaps out of misfortune, this gap is located on the other side of the Elemental Plane, precisely in the Great Sea of Water Elemental Plane.
The surging seawater gushed out from the breach, submerging everything. The force of the explosion also tore the continent of Azeroth in two. The waters of the Great Sea gradually merged with the primordial ocean of Azeroth. This explosion caused a severe ecological disaster, permanently altering the geological landscape of the Sky World from that moment on.
The above is excerpted from "Firmament Chronicle, Geography Chapter, Volume 7: The Origin of the Maelstrom".
As he navigated the Enrage ocean currents, following their swirling course, Xiao Yu couldn't help but recall the information he had seen in the Stormwind City Royal Library.
In a sense, the Maelstrom is like a wormhole, connecting two completely different planes of existence. There are actually many such wormholes in Azeroth, but the Maelstrom is undoubtedly the most prominent one.
What awaited him on the other side of the vortex? Without a doubt, it was the Naga and battle.
The whirlpool grew narrower and narrower, gradually approaching its center as it spun—the point where two planes met, where Enrage ocean currents converged. Xiao Yu through the water, and suddenly the vista opened up before him. He knew he had crossed the critical point and entered the Prime Material Plane. Looking around, he could see the raw forms of many elemental creatures struggling against the currents in the swirling seawater. Their previously orderly formations were gone. Entering the Prime Material Plane in this state would undoubtedly leave them defenseless, but Xiao Yu had no better choice than to continue forward.
As the whirlpool grew larger, the ocean current began to slow down. Xiao Yu knew it was time. He suddenly lunged forward, breaking free from the Maelstrom's grip, and felt a sudden lightness on his body.
Before me lay azure seawater, a stark contrast to the deep, dark ocean of the Water Elemental Plane. It was teeming with life, fish swam to and fro, coral reefs were exceptionally beautiful, and seaweed cast a vibrant green hue over the surroundings, creating a scene full of color and change.
"Intruders—hiss—stop them!"
"Long live the Immortals, Azathoth!"
Bang!
An explosion jolted Xiao Yu awake. Not far from him, several Water Elemental were fighting with several Naga patrol soldiers. Looking around, he saw elemental creatures emerging from the ocean currents of the Maelstrom everywhere. Around the Maelstrom, many patrolling Naga had already rushed up.
Xiao Yu did not make a move immediately. There were not many Naga in front of him yet, and his subordinates were enough to handle them. He looked around, searching for the location of Hydra City.
The location they had entered seemed to be correct, because a trench appeared in his field of vision directly in front of him. According to the information Neptulon had given him, crossing that trench would lead to the location of Hydra City.
Frostfire Bolt! Xiao Yu raised his hand and killed a Naga guard who had charged forward recklessly. As more and more Water Elemental emerged from the Maelstrom, the Naga patrolmen finally realized something was wrong. They abandoned the fight and began to retreat.
Some Water Elemental tried to give chase, but Xiao Yu immediately stopped them.
Azathoth (Water Elemental Prince): "Everyone, gather around me, regroup, and forget about the Naga!"
As he spoke, he continuously unleashed Frostfire Bolt in all directions. After the previous battle, Xiao Yu had already reached level 33. Although he could only symbolically receive a few dozen experience points for each Naga he killed, the sheer number of them made up for it. In the previous battle, he had wiped out several thousand Naga, which boosted his level by two. Indeed, such a large-scale battle was the best place to level up, especially for the leader of a monster force.
By this time, the elemental creatures had discovered their leader and were gathering around Xiao Yu. They regrouped according to their respective units, and in no time, more than two thousand elemental soldiers had gathered around Xiao Yu. Unfortunately, he had only found two of them: Wotkud (the Water Elemental Elder) and Sairen (the Siren High Priest).
Azathoth (Water Elemental Prince): "Where are the others?"
Wotkud (Elder of the Water Elemental): "Your Highness, some elementals have scattered around the Maelstrom. They haven't been able to accurately reach their designated locations, and many elemental creatures are still searching for their way in the ocean currents. It will probably take some time to gather them all here."
Azathoth (Water Elemental Prince): "We don't have much time to waste. The Naga of Hydra City could react at any moment. Here's what we'll do: Sairen, you take a portion of the troops and stay behind to gather the remaining forces. Send out sirens to search the area around the Maelstrom and collect the scattered elementals. Wotkud, you lead the current organized force to advance. I will personally lead this force to attack Hydra City!"
After saying that, Xiao Yu swam towards the trench, followed by a dense swarm of elemental creatures.
The trench was winding and tortuous, with towering underwater mountains on both sides. They hadn't been attacked here, and it seemed the Naga were completely unprepared. Could they really be so unsuspecting? But Xiao Yu quickly realized he was overthinking it.
Suddenly, the view opened up before them. The Water Elemental Legion had finally crossed the trench and was now in a vast ocean. Directly in front of them, an underwater city appeared.
Hydra City was built on an underwater mountain range, constructed from layers of coral rock, adorned with seaweed and luminous pearls for illumination, forming a massive city. The city was now fully prepared, with countless Naga stationed within its coral fortresses and towers, numbering no less than the previous wave of Naga, perhaps three or four thousand.
Azathoth (Water Elemental Prince): "Everyone, prepare for battle! Defend in place, form a wall formation!"
It would be unwise to attack directly with fewer troops, but Xiao Yu was not in a hurry. Since the surprise attack had failed, there was no need to rush. He could instead wait for the subsequent troop regrouping.
However, it seems that the other side is not as he wished. Countless Naga began to rush out of the coral fortress and surged towards this side in dense numbers.