Azeroth: Starting with Eagle Eye in the Necropolis.

Gothik the Reaper: A necromancer who teaches newly recruited death knights the power to summon the undead to assist them in battle.

There are also the famous Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but Rhodes doesn't know a few of them. Mograine is still alive, and it's currently the 21st year of the Black Gate, so the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are not at full strength.

They even brought the frost dragons, but these frost dragons aren't the legendary Safinon. Safinon was brought to Samar by Kel'Thuzad after Arthas defeated him in Northrend, and he hasn't arrived yet. There are only a few ordinary frost dragons here.

“I say, aren’t you a little early? It’s not your turn to make an appearance yet. I haven’t had my fill of fighting Kel’Thuzad.” Rhodes said, looking at the customer in front of him.

The last time I met him was as Sandro. Going back further, it was when I first met Arthas that I suggested turning Kel'Thuzad to dust.

"Hmph! Rhodes, I didn't expect you to dare attack Naxxramas. I was careless today," Kel'Thuzad said.

The great lich thought Rhodes was mocking him, that he had only just realized this after killing so many of his elite troops, and that it was a blatant slap in the face.

“Your reaction is indeed a bit slow, Kel'Thuzad. I thought you should have realized what was happening as soon as we entered this place and then summoned your men.”

"I never expected that we would break through your Construct Zone and Spider Zone, and that you, the main character, would arrive so late." Sandru said, looking at the great lich before him.

"Enough with the nonsense. If you want to fight, I'm ready to fight to the bitter end. Today it's either you or me, so bring it on!" Kel'Thuzad didn't want to say anything more. Rhodes was Arthas's mortal enemy, and now that Arthas had become the new Lich King, there was nothing more to say if Rhodes wanted to get rid of him. He could just go all out and kill him.

Rhodes is indeed very strong, but he has been running the Scourge for a long time and he is no pushover. Today, the outcome will be decided by his own strength.

Upon hearing this, Rhodes chuckled. Several Holy Fire Phoenixes and three Archangels of Light emanated terrifying holy light, illuminating the entire Naxxramas fortress.

Large numbers of undead, skeletons, zombies, and ghouls were directly annihilated by this holy light.

"Did you hear me right? You said you wanted to fight me and that it was either you or me today. Do you have the right to say that to me?"

"Let me tell you, in a fight between us, it's not a matter of mutual destruction, but rather mutual destruction," Rod said with a cold snort.

These troops under my command are no match for even a lowly Kel'Thuzad, let alone Kil'jaeden. To put it bluntly, Rhodes' elite forces could even launch a decapitation strike against the Lich King and have a chance of success.

Rhodes can't handle the undead army for now, but if he launches a decapitation strike, there's a good chance he can take down the Lich King directly.

“Don’t be nervous, Kel’Thuzad. We’re not here to fight you today, but to discuss some personal matters with you,” Sandru quickly said.

He was really afraid that if he continued talking, the lich would provoke his master again and he would be doomed. Please, master, we still need this guy to modify your undead army, vampires and frost dragons. At the same time, we also need to find out about the Lich King from him and find a way to turn this guy against us.

“Speak plainly, what do you want?” Kel'Thuzad asked.

Although he spoke arrogantly, he really didn't dare to go head-to-head with Rhodes in a real fight. The difference in strength between the two sides was huge. Rhodes's Holy Light summons alone would be enough to give him a hard time, and might even wipe out his entire side.

In addition to the creatures of the Holy Light, Kel'Thuzad looked at Rhodes' undead creations, including ghostly dragons that resembled phantoms, and something that looked like something from Death Discrimination, which must have been created by that guy Stank. There was also another kind of undead creature that looked somewhat like a humanoid bat, wearing a blood-red robe, and was extremely eerie. He had never seen it before. There were also those things that held staffs and resembled lich mages.

“My goal is simple: how about Kel'Thuzad joins me from now on?” Rhodes said.

"I pledge allegiance to the great Lich King," Kel'Thuzad said with a cold snort. Was he kidding? Rhodes was actually trying to persuade him to surrender.

"Come on, you once served Dalaran, but what happened after that? First you formed the Cult of the Damned, then you followed the Lich King. All you worship is knowledge and power."

"But I can tell you what the Lich King's true power is. He's nothing more than a puppet, while I can give you something different, and I won't forcibly control you," Rhodes said.

His ultimate goal was to get Kel'Thuzad to help modify the undead creatures. As long as they were his units, they would absolutely obey his orders. As for the other undead units, that would depend on Sandru's performance in the future.

Kel'Thuzad's ghostly flames flickered violently; Rhodes' words pierced precisely into a region deep within him that he was unwilling to confront.

He did indeed betray Dalaran and the world of the living, but this shift in "loyalty" stemmed from an ultimate pursuit of knowledge and power, rather than unconditional blind loyalty.

He was loyal to the Lich King only because the latter gave him the knowledge he wanted.

“That’s different! Dalaran… they are pedantic and cowardly, unable to comprehend true power! But the Lich King, he granted me eternal life and endless knowledge, allowing me to glimpse the true essence of magic!” Kel'Thuzad shook his head and said.

"Eternal life? Bound to a cold skeleton, a will attached to a helmet?" Rhodes scoffed.

Kel'Thuzad withdrew his Holy Light Judgment, but the three Archangels of Light and the Holy Fire Phoenix still exuded a suffocating pressure, firmly locking onto Kel'Thuzad, the Death Knight behind him, and the Frost Dragon.

“Look at yourself now, Kel'Thuzad.”

Do you really think Ner'zhul, or that hybrid currently vying for dominance with Arthas, cares about your loyalty?

To them, you and my undead soldiers are just tools, pawns that can be used at any time.

As for knowledge, did Arthas possess any profound knowledge? Or did that orc shaman possess the knowledge that fascinates you? That was just something given to him by someone else.

Compared to the knowledge I possess, it's like the difference between the bright moon and a candle flame, the difference between heaven and earth. Others may not know the old shaman's true identity, but don't you? The first Lich King was nothing more than a pitiful old orc," Rhodes said.

To put it bluntly, Arthas was just a young man in his late twenties. The Lich King's power he wielded was merely a means to forcibly control and transform the undead. As for his supposedly profound necromancy...

Sorry, this guy really doesn't have any; in fact, the old shaman has a few more spells than him.

Sandru stepped forward at the opportune moment and continued to persuade Kel'Thuzad: "Kel'Thuzad, we have all sought eternal power; we are all necromancers who seek eternal power."

But have you ever considered that the person you are loyal to is a prisoner, imprisoned on the Frozen Throne?

He can't even fully control his own power and needs a mortal body to walk in the world. Can such an existence really lead you to the ultimate of death magic?

But my master is different. You should know that the four powerful guests, Wu Yaowang, thought he had control over his master's servants, but in reality, his master had just planted a sharp knife next to him.

Your master possesses Titan-level mystical magic and the ability to create a new kind of undead. Your master cherishes your talent and that's why he's come to persuade you.

This is a rare opportunity for you, Kel'Thuzad. If I were you, I would seize it.

Look at me, Kel'Thuzad. I also embrace death, but the master I serve wields a completely different system of power.

It is not simply death and enslavement, but rather... evolution, another sublimation of life forms.

"My will belongs entirely to myself, my power is constantly growing, and even my body is being revitalized under the nourishment of the power of death." Sandru pointed to his face, which was now covered with black skin.

The Death Force of Azeroth is of great research value, and as undead by nature, the undead creatures summoned by Sandro and Rhodes have more access to the source of death than the undead transformed from the living.

Kel'Thuzad remained silent; there were some things he had to admit.

Rhodes's undead technology does seem to be a bit more advanced than the Lich King's. The Lich King has no way to deal with the undead controlled by Rhodes and is completely unable to forcibly control them.

Moreover, he did have some research on the Force of Death, and after transforming into a Grand Lich, he gained new understanding and insights into necromancy.

Moreover, although Arthas was a capable and skilled general, to be honest, as a mage, he actually looked down on these guys who only knew how to wield swords and sticks.

Arthas was nothing more than a brute with only brute strength.

"Then, Lord Rhodes, you say you know the secret of the Lich King's power. May I ask you about the source of the Lich King's power?" Kel'Thuzad asked.

He wanted to test whether Rhodes knew any truths, such as where the Lich King's true power came from.

Chapter 305 The Shadow Realm, Warden Zoval, and the Immortals!

Kel'Thuzad asked this question because he felt a different kind of calling. Outsiders believed that the Lich King was just a puppet created by the Burning Legion.

Kil'jaeden captured the old orc shaman Ner'zhul, destroyed his physical body, and then his soul attached itself to a suit of armor before descending to the continent of Northrend.

Within this armor, Ner'zhul's spiritual power was infinitely amplified, granting him the power to control the undead.

But none of this makes sense. Does the Burning Legion really possess such power? The Burning Legion specializes in fel magic, although they also know some shadow magic.

However, when it comes to death magic, only the Dreadlord is somewhat skilled in it.

Given Kil'jaeden's intelligence, he could have easily used this method to mass-produce something similar to the Lich King, but he didn't do so.

Or rather, only Azeroth could create something similar to the Lich King. The death magic and strange power that the Lich King wielded did not come from the Burning Legion, but from another great being.

In truth, you did not pledge allegiance to the real Lich King, but to the great being who created the Lich King, who wields true power of domination, and comes from the true realm of the dead.

So he wanted to see if Rhodes could answer his question, if he could answer it correctly, and how he could convince himself.

“You’ve come to the right person. The Lich King’s power doesn’t come from the Burning Legion, but from the Shadowlands,” Rhodes said with a cold laugh.

No one knows about the Shadow Warden yet, but I'm sorry, as a transmigrator, I do.

Rhodes' words were like a boulder thrown into the still lake of Kel'Thuzad's heart, stirring up a stormy sea. How could this be? He actually knew, and what was the Shadowlands?

He could only vaguely sense a world of death, but the other person actually called out his name accurately.

"The Shadowlands?" This term is like glimpsing the outline of a magnificent building through a thick fog. You know it exists, but you don't know its details. It is a mysterious realm that even Kil'jaeden, a leader of the Burning Legion, seems to have not fully understood, or rather, deliberately ignored.

"Continue! Tell me what the Shadowlands are?" Kel'Thuzad's voice carried a hint of urgency that he himself didn't realize. So, could Rhodes's undead technology come from the Shadowlands? No wonder he could break free from the Lich King's control, leaving the Lich King helpless and even making the Lich King extremely envious.

Stank possesses terrifying power. The undead troops under his command can increase their attack and defense, and troops with corpses are even more powerful. They are weaker against gargoyles, skeletons, and crypt spiders, but extremely powerful against death knights and zombies.

During the time that Scythe served the Lich King, the Lich King frantically researched this power, but to no avail; he was completely unable to grasp this mysterious property that could collectively increase the power of the undead.

Upon hearing this, Rhodes smiled slightly. It seemed the fish had taken the bait. Just as he had expected, Kel'Thuzad wasn't really loyal to the Lich King. What he truly cared about was the power behind the Lich King, which was why he followed the Jailer in version 9.0 and became his loyal lackey.

If you were truly loyal to the Lich King, why didn't you save Arthas after you arrived in the Shadowlands, instead of letting the Jailer smash his soul to pieces?

"Kil'jaeden? That self-righteous fraudster, who thought he forged the prison that held Ner'zhul captive—the Frozen Throne and the Crown of Domination—with fel energy and hatred."

But he was wrong, terribly wrong. He had merely 'borrowed,' or rather, been 'permitted' to use the technology and core power provided by the Shadowlands, by a desolate place called the 'Maw.'

The one truly orchestrating all of this behind the scenes is the ruler of the Maw—Warden Zoval. Rhodes dropped a bombshell.

He directly explained the Warden's identity to Kel'Thuzad, but some of the information was true and some was false. The Warden's identity was true, and the Shadowlands were true, but Kil'jaeden was unaware that he was being used.

The Crown of Domination, or Frostmourne, and the Lich King's armor were both obtained by the Dreadlord, who was, of course, the creation of Emperor Denathrius.

This is why the Warden's power ended up in the mortal world; two powerful Eternals joined forces.

“Warden…” Kel'Thuzad repeated the name in a low voice.

“That’s right, Warden.” Rhodes confirmed the other person’s name.

“Ner'zhul, and Arthas, who is now vying for dominance with him, are just pawns in the Warden's hands, 'reapers' he has placed in this testing ground of Azeroth.”

Their duty is to use the power of the Crown of Domination to create endless death and strife, guiding countless souls to the Shadowlands, ultimately converging them into the Maw, to enhance the Warden's power and help him break the ancient order of life and death.

Although Arthas completely disobeyed the Jailer, he still subconsciously constructed some things in the Shadowlands under the Jailer's orders. This foreshadowed the arrival of the Frozen Throne in the Shadowlands in version 9.0. The machines beneath Icecrown Citadel were all prepared to connect to the Shadowlands.

“You’re right, Lord Rhodes… I sensed a powerful consciousness, even stronger than the Lich King. Who is he? Is he the ruler of the Death Realm?” Kel'Thuzad asked with a look of longing.

"The ruler of the kingdom? No, no, no, you overestimate him. He's just a prisoner, a pathetic wretch who was defeated and imprisoned by his own brothers, the Eternals," Rhodes said with a sneer.

"You think you are loyal to the Lich King and pursuing eternal knowledge?"

No, you are actually serving the Warden. All your research and the undead army you have transformed are ultimately just accumulating 'nutrients' for the Maw.

What you seek as the 'ultimate goal' is, in the Jailer's eyes, merely a necessary process for a tool to complete its task. Once you lose your value, or the Lich King, this tool, needs to be replaced, your fate will be no better than those mindless ghouls—your soul will ultimately be sucked into the Maw, enduring eternal torment.

“Lord Rhodes, it seems you know a lot. Please tell me, tell me the truth of all this. I don’t want to be a pawn,” Kel'Thuzad said.

Rhodes wasn't deceiving himself; he could still discern some things. Lord Rhodes was right; Arthas was nothing more than a pawn.

Rhodes' words shattered Kel'Thuzad's last shred of hope. He had always thought he had broken free from the shackles of Dalaran and devoted himself to a grander, more realistic system of power, researching the power of immortality.

Little did he expect that he had only jumped from a small cage into a larger and more desperate conspiracy. His so-called "loyalty" and "pursuit" were nothing but a carefully designed joke in the eyes of beings in higher dimensions.

Sandrue, a fellow seeker of knowledge, offered a timely echo: "How pathetic, Kel'Thuzad?"

You yearned to touch the truth, yet you almost became an accomplice used by the opposing side to disrupt the balance. Death itself is not frightening; what is frightening is being used.