Playing a Very Big Game of Chess

These five Elemental Lords were either solo players or leaders of small guilds. They had all been seduced by the Elemental Will and joined the ranks by following the crowd and clinging to powerful figures. They didn't have the resources of the Elemental Will; for them, the Elemental Lords role was everything. Therefore, they had no intention of fighting head-on and easily swore allegiance to Azathoth. Of course, their oath of allegiance wasn't very meticulous. Players usually leave themselves some loopholes in their oaths of allegiance, but Xiao Yu didn't care much. Now that he had the upper hand, he wasn't afraid they wouldn't submit. Once he became the Elemental King, he would have even less room for their rebellion.

[System Announcement: In the year 1375 of the Azure Era, Azathoth, the Source of Chaos, decisively defeated and killed four Elemental Lords of the Elemental Will at the Dark Portal, merging the Elemental Will with the Immortals. Through this battle, Azathoth successfully gained the allegiance of several Elemental Lords, and the Immortals became a vast organization simultaneously possessing four types of Elemental Lords. When news of this spread throughout the Sky World, even the four Elemental Kings would likely be deeply shaken. This event has far-reaching consequences and has been recorded in the Firmament Chronicle.]

Xiao Yu checked his attributes.

I've already reached level 59, and the experience points from defeating four skeleton-level bosses are just too good to pass up. I'm only one level away from the maximum level.

I've earned over three thousand reputation points, and combined with the ones I gained on the Lost Island, it seems I'm not far from advancing. Although earning reputation points becomes very, very slow after reaching the fourth Skeleton level, it depends on the task. Killing Elemental Lords is a sure way to gain both fame and fortune; even after deductions, a large amount of reputation points will still be earned. If I can kill these Elemental Lords in front of me, I'll probably advance without a doubt.

However, he certainly wouldn't do that. Not to mention that these Elemental Lords would be useful to him in the future, in his current state, he couldn't possibly defeat them even if he wanted to. He was currently outwardly strong but inwardly weak, with his elemental power almost completely exhausted, and even maintaining his Old God Form was becoming difficult.

Before he could be exposed, Azathoth reverted to his human form. At that moment, Medivh approached.

Medivh (Astral Traveler): "Congratulations, Great Source of Chaos. You have defeated a powerful foe and recruited more followers. It seems you are one step closer to becoming the Elemental King. So, do you need me to open the Dark Portal now, or wait until tomorrow?"

Azathoth (Source of Chaos): "No need to wait. Open the Dark Portal immediately, and we'll set off for Draenor now."

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. Now is the time when he is at the height of his power and his word is law. If he doesn't take advantage of this moment to pull everyone into the Dark Portal, what is he waiting for? If they find out what going to Draenor means, he may not be able to pull them all in, and then it will take a lot of effort.

Medivh (Astral Traveler): "Then I'll begin."

Medivh was quite easy to talk to. As he spoke, Medivh walked towards the Dark Portal. Standing in front of the Dark Portal, Medivh raised his staff, and a ball of green light began to gather at the tip of the staff.

Green magic generally comes in only two forms: Druid nature magic and Eredar Fel. Nature magic is a vibrant green light full of life, while Fel magic is a dark green light full of destruction. In essence, they are the same thing, except that nature magic is a gift from nature, while Fel magic is an evil act of taking from it.

Without Medivh chanting any incantation, he simply pointed his staff sharply towards the Dark Portal, and the green light on Dark Portal staff shot towards it.

The Dark Portal was a stone structure, a gigantic doorway-like building. Boom! Green light suddenly spread out from the center of the Dark Portal, instantly forming a green light curtain within the massive frame. Through this curtain, a red world could be faintly seen. On either side of the Dark Portal stood two statues of mysterious figures wearing hoods. Xiao Yu had once heard that these statues were actually modeled after Medivh, sculpted by the orc warlock Gul'dan when he received Medivh's orders to build the Dark Portal. However, looking at the two statues now and comparing them to the Medivh figure casting a spell, Xiao Yu felt they were different. The faces beneath the hoods were not visible, only shadows, which reminded him of the founder of the Council of Sages he had seen in the Mirror of Truth that day.

At this moment, the eyes beneath the hoods of the two mysterious statues glowed red.

Medivh abruptly put away his staff. Success! The Dark Portal has been opened. However, this portal can only be open for 24 hours. If you need me to open it again, you can contact me later. Of course, you can also find someone in Draenor who knows Eredar Magic to open it for you. I think there are many powerful spellcasters like that there.

Xiao Yu nodded.

Azathoth (the Source of Chaos): "Then so be it, mage. Now, everyone, heed my command, march on Draenor." Several Elemental Lords obediently followed behind him, and the army slowly entered the Dark Portal.

Medivh remained standing atop the hill not far from the Dark Portal, like a statue, watching the slowly advancing army. His eyes, seemingly lost in thought, flickered with an unusual light. He stood there, watching the army, one after another, enter the massive Dark Portal, watching the colossal statues flanking it, until all of Azathoth's forces had entered. Only then did Dark Portal Medivh softly, stretching as if a task had been completed. Then, with a leap, his form transformed into a raven in mid-air, and he flew away once more.

The crows flew slowly in the air, seemingly taking a leisurely, aimless flight, yet also appearing to have a grand goal in mind.

Medivh, disguised as a crow, seemed unrestricted by air resistance, moving with astonishing speed. Like a phantom, it swept across the sky, quickly overtaking a flock of migrating geese, easily shaking off a mountain eagle that tried to catch it, crossing continuous mountain ranges, passing through forests and rivers, and finally, the crow slowly landed in front of a tall tower.

He transformed back into Medivh's human form, entered the tower, and spiraled upwards up the stairs. In the hall at the top of the tower, there was a conference table. The seven chairs on the table were already filled with phantoms of the members of the Council of Sages attending the meeting. In front of each phantom was a crystal ball-like object. It was this little gadget that allowed people to communicate with each other.

At Medivh's spot, there was also a crystal ball. He walked over, sat down, and waved his hand over the crystal ball. Instantly, his image appeared in the eyes of others, somewhat like a video conference.

"Good afternoon, Astral Sage. You've finally arrived. So, has Azathoth already led his army into the Dark Portal?" the mysterious figure sitting at the head of the conference table asked in a noticeably hoarse voice.

Just like Medivh, he also lacked personal information such as an avatar, character name, and level.

Medivh (Astral Traveler): "It's going even better than planned. Azathoth has defeated the four Elemental Lords of the Elemental Will and absorbed their remaining forces. His power has greatly increased, and soon he and his army will arrive at the Throne of the Elements to begin the ancient ritual. Everything is proceeding as planned."

"Very good. It seems our plan has been going smoothly so far. Now, once Azathoth initiates the Elemental Ritual, the four False Elemental Kings will head to the Throne of the Elements to vie for the throne of the Elemental King. The Old Gods will definitely not ignore this matter. This is the best time for us to seize the Blood of the Old Gods. I think you all understand the importance of the Blood of the Old Gods. Now, everyone, get moving! Soon, our goal will be achieved."

One by one, the phantoms disappeared, but Medivh remained until the very end, sitting in his seat and watching the mysterious man at the head of the table.

"Is there anything else?" The mysterious man seemed to notice Medivh's unusual behavior and asked casually.

Medivh (Astral Traveler): "There's something I need to figure out. Perhaps you can give me an answer."

"Please speak!" The mysterious man gestured for him to speak.

Medivh (Astral Traveler): "Azathoth has already given me answers to some questions. He told me what a GM is, and the truth about adventurers."

The mysterious man nodded noncommittally. "Oh, so what did he say?"

Medivh (Astral Traveler): "He said that GMs are those who have mastered the laws of this world, while adventurers are beings from a higher dimension. If you possess both characteristics, you clearly fit the description. The power you've displayed forces me to connect it to the laws, and your immortal power also matches the description of an adventurer. So I want to know, are you a GM, an adventurer, or both?"

The mysterious man laughed silently upon hearing this. Although there was only darkness under the hood, Medivh guessed for some reason that the face under the hood must have a smug expression.

"You really want to know the truth? Then I might as well tell you, actually I am--"

PS: Two updates today, three updates tomorrow.