Sunset Gate, the largest pass on Serpents Spine, is the main thoroughfare to Mantis Highlands. Ten thousand Pandaren troops are stationed here, making it a key area for Mantis Shrimp attacks.
Within the pass, the Great Wall Training Ground serves as a logistical base.
Shadow Master urgently gathered several hundred Monks, then deployed ten thousand troops from the training ground before opening Sunset Gate and advancing into Mantis Highlands.
Aileen followed Shadow Master. She could tell that the Master was not skilled in warfare; the Pandaren army was commanded by General Zhu. General Zhu had been stationed at Sunset Gate for many years and was an experienced commander.
However, in Aileen's opinion, his command still had flaws.
Soon, the Mantis Shrimp discovered this army and sent a detachment to intercept them.
Although the Pandaren had not made any hostile moves, the Mantis Shrimp feared that the Pandaren were coming to raid them. This was because there was a grove of amber trees along the Pandaren's line of march.
Amber trees are a vital resource for the Mantis Shrimp. Their resin can be used to preserve the bodies of Mantis Shrimp warriors and also to create tools and weapons. Some outstanding Mantis Shrimp artisans produce exquisite and powerful amber weapons. The large numbers of Mantis Shrimp, coupled with powerful weapons, give them a huge advantage against the Pandaren, who are not skilled in weapon manufacturing. It is no wonder the Pandaren suffer heavy casualties.
Fortunately, it takes time for the Mantis Shrimp to collect resin and manufacture weapons, so their attacks are cyclical and relatively easy to predict and counter. And the Mantis Shrimp are not afraid of being countered; they simply want to select warriors through fierce combat.
Their strongest warriors are called the paragons. Powerful paragons require many Monks to besiege them to prevent them from breaking through the Pandaren's defenses, and even then, the Monks still suffer heavy losses.
The commander of this Mantis Shrimp force was a warrior, but the Mantis Shrimp outnumbered the Pandaren by more than three to one, swarming in from all directions.
Inute was about to lead the Druids to transform into Golden Crows and meet the enemy. For Druids, aerial combat is their inherent skill. However, Aileen stopped him, saying, "The Mantis Shrimp are too numerous. Let them land and disperse their forces, then you can ascend and fight."
General Zhu was very familiar with the Mantis Shrimp's attack methods. "Form battle formations; do not become isolated."
The Pandaren formed battle formations in groups of three to five, with warriors covering archers, and archers firing into the sky.
Aileen looked at Lunden. "Uncle Lunden, launch a wide-area strike against the air to disperse the enemy."
"Leave it to me!"
Lunden smiled and ordered, "Let these bugs see our might."
Most of Firmament Light's Priests originated from Mages and possessed powerful spellcasting abilities. The Sun God Sect, after all, worships Gale. Gale himself could use various abilities—Arcane, Holy Light, Life, Soul, and so on—until he condensed all these energies, elevating them into Sun God Power.
Sun Power is a weakened version of Sun God Power, also containing powers such as Arcane, Holy Light, Life, and Soul. After becoming Gale's Priests, not only was the power of the Mages not diminished, but in some aspects, it was even strengthened, such as fire spells.
Lunden himself was skilled in fire spells, and after founding Firmament Light, he further promoted fire spells. What the superior likes, the subordinates will like even more; Priests who joined Firmament Light all diligently studied fire spells.
Fire spells are, to some extent, compatible with Sun Power, so any Priest who joins Firmament Light will make significant progress in a short period.
The Priests quickly conjured fireballs, releasing them towards the dense Mantis Shrimp formations in the sky. The fireballs exploded upon reaching the Mantis Shrimp, killing all Mantis Shrimp within a ten-yard radius.
Explosive Fireball, a small spell modified from Fireball.
The Mantis Shrimp were stunned, only able to constantly dodge the Explosive Fireballs. Sometimes, they even had to stop their dive attacks to evade.
The Pandaren's pressure greatly diminished, and General Zhu continuously directed the battle. He had never fought such a relaxed battle.
Seeing this, the Mantis Shrimp warrior immediately led a detachment to attack Firmament Light's position. They circled to the flank of the battlefield, rushing forward close to the ground.
Inute led the Druids to block their path, transforming into giant, flaming bears and charging into the Mantis Shrimp. Each of their attacks carried a Fire Wind. Any Mantis Shrimp swept by the Fire Wind would be burned, and any Mantis Shrimp struck by a bear paw would surely die.
The Mantis Shrimp warrior was indeed powerful; he was even able to block the bear paw's attack. Then, dodging left and right, he led the Mantis Shrimp who had broken through the Druid line to continue their attack on Firmament Light's position.
Just then, a powerful Fire Wind came from the sky, and a group of Golden Crows arrived in an instant, their sharp claws easily tearing off the heads of the Mantis Shrimp. Everywhere they passed, there were Mantis Shrimp corpses.
The Mantis Shrimp warrior, on his charge, was also attacked by a Golden Crow. But he reacted quickly, crossing his weapon to block the Golden Crow's sharp claws. However, the Golden Crow possessed extremely powerful strength, directly knocking him to the ground, its sharp beak piercing his chest. The Sun Fire instantly entered his body, burning all his internal organs to ashes.
Without the command of the Mantis Shrimp warrior, the Mantis Shrimp instantly collapsed, fleeing towards the nearby amber forest.
Aileen said to General Zhu, "Let's keep going!"
General Zhu nodded. Although he wanted to pursue these Mantis Shrimp, the Sha Demon was the target of this operation. However, he was shocked by the strength of these Elves; these Elves numbered only about a thousand, yet the Mantis Shrimp they killed were hundreds of times more than the Pandaren's.
Shadow Master, however, was accustomed to it. After the Mantis Shrimp retreated, he used the Sha energy within the Wrath Soul to sense the location of the Sha of Hatred. This was a new function he had discovered, and it seemed to work very well.
"The Sha of Hatred is to the northwest."
The army passed through the edge of the amber forest. With the recent battle, the Mantis Shrimp no longer dared to attack the army. They followed the road north, reached the vicinity of Torrent Pool, then went west, arriving at an amber forest.
Korevis is the name of this amber forest. It hosts a large Mantis Shrimp community with several powerful Mantis Shrimp paragons.
"It seems we need to deal with the Mantis Shrimp here."
General Zhu's expression was grim. This would be a tough battle, and the Pandaren would suffer heavy losses.
Aileen then said, "Then let's burn this whole place down!"
General Zhu was stunned for a moment. "Wouldn't that burn all the animals here too?"
Aileen said, "Mercy is not for enemies. Animals that can live here are either powerful or connected to the Mantis Shrimp. The powerful ones will surely escape, and it doesn't matter if the connected ones are burned."
General Zhu thought for a moment and agreed to the plan. As long as it could reduce casualties, he was willing to bear some blame.
This task was given to Firmament Light. Lunden led the Priests to draw a huge magic circle on the ground, then cast a large-scale fire spell—Rain of Fire.
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