Chapter 336: The Rift

To ensure the success of their operation, Wu Qingsong planned to replicate the same tactic on the eastern front. However, to their surprise, the Sentalus forces reacted swiftly—deploying an entire legion to invade the Marquisate of Mesthebes, seizing a strategic military stronghold, and massacring all stationed troops in retaliation. Soon after, the eastern Yagata forces followed suit, launching an assault on a Sentalus military camp, though they failed to capture it.

“They’re actually this foolish?” Ram found it hard to believe how smoothly things had gone.

“Let’s just say that ever since the Battle of Tecks, the Sentalus have been bottling up their frustration. This time, they finally found an excuse to let it all out,” Red Moon said with a sigh. “Both sides were attacked at nearly the same time and are convinced they saw the enemy commander personally leading the charge. The imperial court is now embroiled in endless debates, and with so many casualties on the ground, the situation in Mesthebes won’t be easy to de-escalate.”

“Many thanks,” she said, looking at Wu Qingsong and Ram. “We’ll smuggle the craftsmen through Fadial. I’ll personally oversee the operation to ensure that every single one of them arrives safely in Nagrand.”

“Where are you heading next?” Wu Qingsong asked.

Having worked together multiple times, he no longer doubted Dark Moon’s commitment to fulfilling their end of the bargain.

“If it’s convenient, drop me off at Benaris Port,” Red Moon said. “That’s where I’ll be gathering the craftsmen you need.”

After resting for a day at one of Dark Moon’s hidden camps, they took off under the cover of night, flying over the Tecks Mountains. The region had now become a desolate wasteland, devoid of even a single firelight. Ram looked down with a tinge of melancholy.

They touched down on the sea near Benaris Port, secretly dropping Red Moon off at the shore before immediately heading north.

All they had to do was cross the Tex Mountains once more, then follow its western foothills northward, and they would soon reach Nagrand.

“Do you want to stop by Orgrimmar?” Ram asked.

Wu Qingsong pondered briefly before shaking his head firmly.

There was nothing left for him there.

But just as they located the boundary between the desert and the mountains, preparing to fly northward, a deep rumbling noise erupted from far to the left. The earth trembled beneath them.

The Gobi Desert below was visibly shaking, as thick clouds of dust swallowed the ground, creating a vast, smoke-like haze that obscured their view.

“An earthquake?” Wu Qingsong said in shock.

But when he looked toward the source of the sound, he saw a strange, ominous red light piercing through the sky, dyeing the entire horizon a sea of crimson—like a vast ocean of blood.

The three on board were stunned by the spectacle. A few seconds later, they all spoke in unison.

“Orgrimmar?!”

Wu Qingsong glanced at Ram and Ling. He knew he shouldn’t let them take such a risk, but watching such an anomaly unfold so close by without investigating was out of the question.

“Ascend higher,” he finally instructed Ling. “Move in slowly. Let’s see what’s going on.”

The previous tremors had left many trees tilting as if pushed outward by some unseen force. As they neared the red glow, entire sections of forest had collapsed, some trees even flung aside as if caught in a storm.

Countless black specks swarmed the area around the red light, and their movements were all too familiar to Wu Qingsong.

Insectoids—tens of thousands, no, hundreds of thousands of them!

The mountains north of Orgrimmar had completely collapsed, revealing a bottomless abyss from which the blood-red glow and the insectoid horde emerged. Peering through the monocular, Wu Qingsong recognized spiderkin, beetlekin, antkin, and scorpionkin—alongside countless other grotesque, unfamiliar insectoids.

“Wu…” Even without the aid of the monocular, Ram and Ling could see the writhing mass of monstrous creatures covering the land. Unlike Wu Qingsong and Nina, who had spent extensive time in close proximity to these beings, just the sight of them from afar made the two women’s skin crawl.

‘So this is it.’

A realization suddenly struck Wu Qingsong.

Marquis Osaga’s assessment had been correct. This place was the chosen entry point for the Crimson Demon Lord into the surface world. His decision to station troops and patrol the mountain region had been remarkably foresighted. Yet in the end, he had been lured south by a diversion, leaving an opening for the Crimson Demon Lord to seize.

The Crimson Demon Lord…

A rare shiver of fear ran through Wu Qingsong.

The Flame Demon Lord was already difficult enough to deal with. If the far more powerful Crimson Demon Lord had truly entered the surface world, how were they supposed to stop it?

For the first time since arriving in this world, Wu Qingsong found himself desperately hoping for the presence of the elves—especially their powerful magic-wielders.

They had wiped out the insect tide in Esola with ease. Maybe they could do the same here.

“Wu!” Ram suddenly shrieked. Wu Qingsong followed her gaze.

A massive, blood-red beetlekin was climbing out of the abyss.

From their high altitude, it appeared no larger than a fist, but compared to the swarming insectoids below, it was an absolute behemoth.

The Flame Demon Lord?!

Wu Qingsong couldn’t believe his eyes.

As if answering his unspoken question, another beetlekin of the same colossal size emerged from the rift beside the first.

Then a third.

Wu Qingsong’s breath caught in his throat.

By comparing them to the soldier ants standing nearby, he roughly estimated their size. They might not be quite as massive as the Flame Demon Lord, but to Wu Qingsong, the difference was almost negligible.

“What are those monsters?!” Ram murmured in shock.

The three towering beetlekin tilted their heads upward as if sensing something. A few seconds later, Wu Qingsong felt a faint mental probe brush over him, snapping him back to reality.

“Ascend! Ling, get us higher,” he shouted urgently.

But he realized the danger too late.

One of the beetlekin had already locked onto their position. Its massive head turned toward them, and then—

A colossal pair of wings unfurled from its back.

The next instant, it stomped down on the edge of the abyss, shattering a massive chunk of rock. Its enormous body launched skyward with terrifying speed, hurtling straight toward their aircraft.

“Accelerate! Now!” Wu Qingsong bellowed. “East! Head east!”