Azeroth: Starting with Eagle Eye in the Necropolis.

The history of Azeroth has been completely altered by itself.

That evening, a grand welcoming banquet was held at the Royal Palace of Lordaeron to celebrate the return of the Regent of Lordaeron. This time, a Horde envoy, a green-skinned orc named Broxigar, was specially allowed to be present at the banquet. Although most of the nobles of Lordaeron had some objections to this, Rhodes overruled them.

Although he didn't particularly like the orc race, Rhodes had a great deal of goodwill towards this orc veteran. Despite some existential conflicts between them, he believed that once Azeroth was born, he could ask Azeroth to help repair Draenor and allow the orcs to return to their homeland, no longer competing with humans for living space.

After the state-level banquet, Rod hosted a private dinner with his family.

At the banquet, Rhodes briefly recounted his experiences in the War of the Ancients—omitting, of course, the details of his deep connection with the Azerothian world-soul and the fel power bestowed upon him by Sargeras. He focused on the threat of the Burning Legion, the sacrifice of the Wildlands demigods, the fierce battle fought by the dragonflight, and the perilous process of finally closing the portal.

A month later, leaders from all member states of the Alliance arrived via portals or on horseback to witness the return of Rhodes Dawn, the Alliance's Grand Marshal and Prince of Lordaeron, who had been "missing for three years."

King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind attended in person with his son, Prince Anduin; King Magni Bronzebeard of Ironforge and High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque of Gnomeregan came together; Kael'thas Sunstrider also came from Quel'Thalas, the Blood Elf prince who is now the official king.

Even Thrall, the Warchief of the Horde, sent a representative—a young Tauren Druid named Hamuul Runetotem—with a personal letter from Thrall and wishes for peace. Meanwhile, news of the missing veterans from the Horde was also sent back.

Rhodes held a closed-door meeting with the Alliance's top brass. Attendees included leaders from various countries, high-ranking members of the Silver Hand such as Uther and Alexandros, and mage representatives such as Jaina and Rhonin.

“First, I need to understand what happened during the three years I was away,” Rod said bluntly.

"Especially the relationship between the tribes and the alliance, and the situation in various places."

King Varian spoke first: "Rhodes, since you left, there has indeed been an increase in friction between the Alliance and the Horde."

The main focus is on the resource competition in Ashenvale and the Barrens, including the jungles below Stormwind, which Thrall is trying his best to control, but some radical elements of the Warsong Clan... are not very obedient, and there are quite a few radicals within the Horde.

"The trade route between Lordaeron and Theramore has also been attacked by pirates on numerous occasions," Jaina added.

"However, according to my investigation, some of these pirates are goblins, and some are humans. Of course, there are also some Blackrock orcs and dwarves."

"Changes are also taking place within the Horde," Kael'thas provided intelligence.

"According to our intelligence in Undercity, the Forsaken's power is expanding, and Queen Sylvanas seems to be conducting some kind of... experiment."

However, the Death Knight Highlord is quite well-behaved. Currently, there are two opposing factions in Royal Tomb City, but the Death Knight Highlord, Stangk, holds absolute power.

Rhodes nodded upon hearing this. This was similar to the Azeroth he knew well; the situation on the Forsaken side was perfectly normal.

Chapter 389 Blackrock Mountain, The Burning Crusade: Cataclysm (The End)

After listening to everyone's reports, Rhodes fell into a brief moment of contemplation. The firelight from the fireplace in the conference hall flickered on the faces of the leaders, reflecting their respective worries and expectations.

“I understand your concerns,” Rhodes finally spoke, his voice steady and clear.

"But allow me to say this first—the threat of the Burning Legion has never truly gone away. During the War of the Ancients, I witnessed Sargeras's wrath firsthand. He will never abandon Azeroth. Our true enemy has always been Sargeras and his Burning Legion."

Rhodes didn't say anything about the Shadow, because in a way, the Shadow was also part of the universe.

Although it has been devouring planets, it has not disrupted the balance of the universe. The one who truly disrupts the balance of the universe is Sargeras, who has been destroying worlds everywhere.

If you really want to stop the shadows from being consumed, then you can attack the shadows and the void army. Why bother with those innocent worlds?

This is also the main reason why Rhodes looks down on Sargeras. He is the kind of person who, after his defenses are breached, blames others, or even the entire world.

Magni Bronzebeard slammed his fist on the table: "Damn demons! But the dwarves aren't afraid of them! The problem is, right now, those green-skinned orcs are lurking on our border—"

“King Magni,” Rhodes raised his hand, gesturing for him to calm down.

“I know there are indeed radicals in the tribe, but Warchief Thrall is a reasonable leader. We fought side by side in Mount Hyjal, and I know his character.”

"Soon, I will personally travel to Orgrimmar on the Horde's side to speak with Thrall in person and tell him about the recent events," Rhodes said.

Ultimately, thanks to Rhodes's strong advocacy, the meeting temporarily calmed everyone down, and the Alliance focused on dealing with Blackrock Mountain.

The most urgent task now is to increase the alliance's strength and bring the Dark Iron dwarves into the alliance as soon as possible.

Then, they drove out all the orcs from Blackrock Mountain. At the same time, Rhodes himself took Onyxia to the top of Blackrock Mountain and met her brother, the legendary black dragon prince Nefarian.

Blackrock Mountain, this volcano standing between the Burning Plains and the Scorching Canyon, is like a hideous scar on the earth.

Smoke billows from the mountaintop year-round, turning the sky a dark orange-red. Within the mountain's intricate network of caves and fortresses, three factions reside: the upper level is Nefarian's laboratory, "Blackwing Lair"; the middle level is the Dark Iron Dwarves' Darkforge; and the lower level contains the remnants of the orcs trapped there after the Second War.

Rhodes stood at the foot of Blackrock Mountain, gazing up at the ominous peak.

Onyxia, in human form, stood beside him, wearing a long black dress. Her beautiful face held a complex expression; today, her brother was likely doomed.

When he saw Rhodes again, he knew clearly how powerful the pressure emanating from this human was; a dragon-like pressure emanated from him.

This oppressive aura was no less powerful than the deathly intent of his father; he had never felt this dragon king's aura from any other male dragon.

Even the Blue Dragon King and the Bronze Dragon King, the male dragon kings of the children's books, did not possess such power. It even aroused a certain female dragon's desire. The male dragon aura emanating from her was simply too strong, and this scent was practically a deadly aphrodisiac for her.

“My brother… he’s very proud,” Onyxia said softly, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a strand of black hair.

"And he was insane. After his father fell from grace, he inherited that twisted wisdom, but used it to create horrific things."

Although part of it was on my father's orders, my brother was also very enthusiastic about creating these monsters.

Rhodes nodded. "I know, but Blackrock Mountain must be cleared out; it's too close to the Alliance's core territory."

Onyxia glanced at him: "How do you plan to persuade him? Nefarian won't give in easily, not even to a demigod."

“Then let’s see whose will is stronger. I plan to beat him into submission,” Rhodes said calmly.

Oniksiawen's eyes lit up. The term "katana" was very convincing among the dragons, and it was also a method that Zhilong highly approved of.

They began climbing the mountain, without any army, only Rhodes, Onyxia, and of course, a whole bunch of summoned units from Rhodes' system space.

Despite the small number of people, if it really came down to a group fight, Rod said he didn't need anyone's presence.

The path to Blackwing Lair is fraught with traps and black dragon guards.

But Onyxia knew the area like the back of her hand, and she led Rhodes through hidden paths, bypassing most of the defenses.

Occasionally, when encountering guards they couldn't bypass, Rhode only needed to give them a look, and his Dragon King-level aura would make those black dragons prostrate on the ground, trembling in fear.

“Your power… is stronger than when you left, not only in the Holy Light, but also in other… more primal powers. My God, I really want to have a bunch of dragon eggs with you,” Onyxia said.

Please, stop emanating the scent of a male dragon king; it's a deadly temptation for female dragons.

“I brought back some ‘gifts’ from ancient times, but unfortunately I have no interest in laying dragon eggs with you.” Rhodes didn’t say more.

Princess Black Dragon immediately showed a hint of disappointment. She wanted to say that male dragons generally didn't take care of dragon eggs, and that the female dragons were responsible for them. She only needed to provide some seeds. But now that she was a prisoner, she had no right to say anything. Damn it, why didn't you like playing with prisoners?

Rhodes walked ahead. To be honest, after his dragon bloodline was activated, Rhodes's sexual desires were indeed much stronger, and female dragons were indeed very attractive to him. However, Rhodes said that he was not the kind of animal who thought with his lower body. He could still distinguish between primary and secondary relationships. Moreover, ordinary female dragons could at most give him offspring at the level of intelligent dragons, just like those dragon kings. It was completely impossible for them to reach the level of half-dragons.

Furthermore, Rhodes has no intention of finding a dragon mate; dragon nature is silver by nature, and this is no joke.

Finally, they arrived at the core area of ​​Blackwing Lair. It was a huge cave that had been transformed into a bizarre laboratory.

The cave walls were inlaid with glowing purple crystals, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of ozone mixed with flesh and blood.

In the center of the cave, dozens of cultivation tanks are neatly arranged, filled with all sorts of twisted creatures—hybrids of dragons and orcs, fusions of dragons and ogres, and even bizarre combinations of dragons and elemental creatures.

Rhodes felt nauseous, so this guy had raised other monsters besides the rainbow dragon.

"Ah, my dear sister, you're finally home! You've come back to see your brother, and you've brought along a fun friend of yours."

The sound came from high above the cave. Rhodes looked up and saw a figure standing on the platform above. He remained in human form—a handsome man with dark hair and a sickly pale face, wearing a black robe adorned with dragon bones and jewels. But his eyes were reptilian vertical pupils, with dark red blood vessels flowing through their gold.

Nefarian, the black dragon prince, the eldest son of Deathwing.

Nefarian's gaze fell on Rhodes, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Let me guess, this is the legendary Regent of Lordaeron, the 'hero' who has just returned from time travel? What an honor."

Onyxia stepped forward: "Brother, Lord Rhodes wants to talk to you. You'd better be serious and have a proper attitude, or I guarantee you'll wish you were dead."

She wanted to remind her brother that he was now facing a true Dragon King-level being, and that he had no power to resist. The opponent's strength was even greater than their father's. But unfortunately, Rhodes had already concealed his aura when he came up, and Farian could not sense any Dragon King power at all.

"Talk?" Nefarian chuckled and stepped down the spiraling stairs.

"What are we going to talk about? How to hand over my lab to the Alliance? How to make me a human's pet like you, my sister? It's utterly ridiculous."

His tone suddenly turned cold: "Onyxia, you have disappointed me. Although Father doesn't care much about you, you should at least maintain the pride of a black dragon, instead of groveling and submitting to a human."

“This isn’t groveling; it’s seeing reality.” Onyxia retorted, but there was a slight, almost imperceptible tremor in her voice. She still harbored resentment towards her brother, whom she had once admired, but when she looked at Rhodes beside her, she suddenly felt confident.

Rhodes raised his hand, gesturing for Onyxia to step back, and then stepped forward himself. "Nefarian, I'm not here to ask you to surrender; I'm here to offer you a choice."

"Oh? A choice? Tell me, what choice do you, a human, have for me?" Nefarian asked with great interest.

"Option one: I'll kill you right here, then take your corpse back and modify it, turning you into something like a dragon lich," Rhodes said with a smile.

He had previously taken some time to visit Sandru and handed over a few dragon corpses from the Dragon Kingdom to him, asking him to transform them into something like an ice dragon or a dragon lich.

Sandru then told him that if he wanted to modify a dragon lich, the dragon must have possessed powerful magical energy and be of a very high level during its lifetime, and Nefarian was just the right person for that.

Nefarian's smile vanished. This human was truly audacious, actually trying to kill him. Did he really have the strength? Don't think you can be so arrogant just because you've subdued my sister.

"Option two: You give up Blackrock Mountain and follow me from now on."

In exchange, I guarantee the Alliance won't pursue us, and... I can offer you knowledge you can never obtain elsewhere." Rhode was eager to test the black dragon he had summoned, wondering what would happen if it were to undergo hybridization.

"Hahaha, I have never seen such an arrogant human being. You actually want me to pledge allegiance to you, or else kill me."

Knowledge? What knowledge can a human being like you give me?

Rhodes did not answer directly, but instead extended a finger. At the tip of his finger, a wisp of dark green fel energy burned quietly, then transformed into golden holy light, then into emerald life energy, then into blue magical power, then into a wisp of shadowy mist, and finally into a wisp of gray death energy.

Nefarian's vertical pupils suddenly contracted. How could this guy manipulate the Force so easily, and display six powers at once? This was something that ordinary mortals could not do.

"This is……"

“The essence of the cosmic force,” Rhodes said, withdrawing his energy.

“Nefarian, I possess power beyond your imagination. Fel energy, arcane magic, life, shadow, death, and holy light are all at my disposal. If you are willing to submit to me, I may teach you some forbidden knowledge.”

"You are obsessed with creating the perfect dragon race, even at the cost of desecrating the laws of life."

But do you know why your creations always fail? Because they lack 'balance'.

True perfection requires the harmonious coexistence of the six Forces, not simply the patchwork of flesh and blood.

“Sweet talk,” Nefarian sneered. “Perhaps you are indeed somewhat special, but do you think you can fool me by demonstrating some energy manipulation? I am Nefarian, don’t think that just because you inherited the knowledge of the Titans, I—”

Legend has it that this powerful regent received the favor of the Titans and could use some of their creations, which must have been powered by the Titans.

“You are not a Titan.” Rhodes interrupted him, his voice still calm, yet carrying an invisible pressure.

"You are merely a corrupted black dragon, while my power... even surpasses that of the Titans in some respects." Indeed, according to Azeroth, he was on par with her; even the primordial Titans could not master the six fundamental forces and achieve balance.

Rhodes unleashed a Dragon King-level aura, radiating terrifying life energy. Nefarian immediately knelt on the ground, staring at Rhodes in disbelief.

“Who are you? How is this possible? This is the power of the Dragon King. You are a Dragon King? Impossible. I know both the Blue Dragon King and the Bronze Dragon King,” Nefarian said.

“I am an existence you cannot comprehend. I am not one of the Five Colored Dragon Kings, but my power far surpasses that of the Five Colored Dragon Kings,” Rhodes said.

Upon hearing this, Nefarian's heart skipped a beat. If it wasn't the Five Colored Dragon Kings, could it be the legendary Primordial Dragon King? How could these guys have broken through the seal? But even if it was the Primordial Dragon King, he would recognize him. This one was clearly not one of them!