Chapter 264: Soul Stone

If Wu Qingsong learned anything from this experience, it was that quality matters far more than quantity in this world.

With nearly a hundred thousand subjects, Gale Island was a bustling place, even by mainland standards. The nearby sea clans and mermen were even greater in number, yet because they lacked true high-level strength, the birdfolk remained trapped on the island, unable to break free. Likewise, the sea clans, despite their numbers, were helpless against him, a mutated necromancer. In no time, he had driven them from the waters around Gale Island.

The recent battle with the Sentalus Legion had been no different.

Even though the undead he summoned balanced out the Legion’s forces, it was the presence of Nina, Ling, Liuli, and himself that turned the tide. Without them, no number of undead could have killed two elves.

For Orgrimmar, this was even more critical.

Its territory, status, and surrounding circumstances meant he couldn’t build a massive army. After using the undead to divert attention toward Mesthebes, he decided to refrain from deploying lower-tier undead unless absolutely necessary to avoid drawing disaster upon Orgrimmar. At least until a full-scale war with the Elven Empire was inevitable or their plans were exposed.

This made the next steps, or rather the immediate priorities, unmistakably clear.

One priority was to further spread belief in the god Xuanyuan within the territory, to find more reliable and capable beastgirls and to strengthen their abilities through training. The second was to obtain pure, devout souls and find a way to store them.

He never wanted to relive this experience. Even if he could avoid physical harm or soul damage, endlessly collecting and purifying soul fragments was enough to push him to the brink.

Honestly, he was a little impressed with himself for enduring it all.

“Praise Xuanyuan! Praise to you, my lord!” Morin greeted Wu Qingsong with his usual exaggerated reverence.

Behind him, Alice wore the same expression of awestruck devotion that always made Wu Qingsong uncomfortable.

Those two were enough to make anyone want to give them a good shake.

He glanced at Nina, then lowered his voice.

“How many times have I told you not to do that, especially when others are around!” 

Morin nodded repeatedly. “As you command. But, my lord, I simply cannot restrain myself.”

Wu Qingsong could only shake his head. 

“This is Nina Lams. She’s my closest partner and ally. And this is Morin, the chief priest of the Xuanyuan Church.”

“May Xuanyuan bless you, Miss Nina,” Morin said. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Nina replied.

She looked at Morin and Alice with some surprise. Their intense devotion was a bit more than what Wu Qingsong had previously described. It was a bit too fanatical.

“I’d like the Xuanyuan Church to spread among Nina’s people,” Wu Qingsong explained. “I brought her today because she wants to learn more about Xuanyuan and the church.”

“That’s wonderful news!” Morin replied. “But, my esteemed lord, we have something to report that I promise will make you very pleased.”

Clearly, he didn’t want Nina to overhear, so she gave them a polite smile and said, “May I take a look around?”

“Of course.” Wu Qingsong said, a bit awkwardly. “Alice, could you show Nina around?”

After several renovations and incorporating nearby structures, Orgrimmar’s temple had become one of the largest complexes in the inner city. However, from the outside, its scale wasn’t obvious. Only upon entering could one see the carefully painted murals and exquisite artifacts. Nina immediately noticed that many of these items were the ones they had previously taken from the Temple of the God of Death.

High above on scaffolding, several rabbitfolk and ratfolk were absorbed in painting intricate designs on the dome, so focused they didn’t even notice the newcomers.

“You’ve brought in some skilled artists,” Nina remarked.

“They were once ordinary slaves,” Alice replied. “It was my lord who gave them a second chance at life and awakened their talents.”

“My lord?” Nina found the term unusual. 

Neither the elves’ worship in the Hall of Light nor the ancestral reverence among the beastfolk used such a title.

“Of course, the great Creator, the one true god between heaven and earth—Xuanyuan,” Alice said calmly.

The phrasing made Nina uncomfortable, but she already knew enough about this faith to avoid debating such points with the young rabbitfolk girl, who barely reached her waist.

“Are these murals all about Xuanyuan? Could you tell me some of the stories?” she asked, smoothly changing the subject.

“Of course.” Alice nodded, leading Nina to the temple entrance. “This shows the universe’s original state—chaos. Back then, there was no light or darkness, no life, no planets, no mountains or seas, nothing. Until one day, Xuanyuan awoke within the chaos.”

If another traveler from Earth had been there, they’d probably have rushed over to slap Wu Qingsong, thinking, 

Isn’t this Pangu’s story? How did it get mixed up with Emperor Xuanyuan? 

But Wu Qingsong, fully aware of the power of monotheism, had merged every story he knew about ancient Chinese deities into Xuanyuan. He even found ways to tie in the origins of beastfolk, insectfolk, merfolk, and birdfolk, creating a rough but coherent system.

Of course, he only laid out the basic framework. Morin and Alice filled in the many details, patching up contradictions and gaps. In fact, if Wu Qingsong had to recount the Xuanyuan Church’s creation story, it would probably come out quite differently from the version the followers heard.

This cohesive system had become one of the few on the continent that could compare to the Elves’ Hall of Light or the now-extinct God of Death worship in the Batiz Kingdom. In terms of logic, lore, inclusivity, and completeness, the Xuanyuan Church’s doctrine was impressively well-structured and persuasive.

The Xuanyuan Church, unlike the Hall of Light or the God of Death doctrine, embraced the ancestral gods of the various beastfolk rather than denying their existence. According to the church’s teachings, these beastfolk ancestors were the first of their kind created by Xuanyuan himself. Blessed by him, they became the forebears of their respective tribes, bearing a divine power passed down from Xuanyuan. Naturally, they were also his children, his messengers, and his warriors.

Wu Qingsong glanced at Nina and Alice before turning to Morin. 

“So, what is it? Let’s hear it.”

“One moment, please.” 

Morin rushed over to the altar in the temple’s center, where he retrieved several items from a specially crafted container, then hurried back.

“My lord, please look,” he said, carefully placing the items into Wu Qingsong’s hands.

“What is this? Obsidian?” Wu Qingsong examined the beautiful black crystals in his hand. 

Their shapes were flawless, with no impurities—a resemblance to the obsidian he’d seen powering magical arrays in the Temple of the God of Death.

Aside from being smaller, they were almost identical.

“These came from a few of our most devout followers after they passed. Alice obtained them while guiding their souls to rest,” Morin said, barely containing his excitement. “My lord! Is this what you’ve been searching for?”