Xavius naturally recognized that face; it was the nightmare of countless people, and as the Nightmare King, how could he not recognize him?
But Xavius was also very confused. Shouldn't this guy have died long ago? But why did a younger version of him reappear in this world?
Xavius, who dared to lay hands on a Guardian Dragon, naturally possessed a considerable amount of information, and his master also allowed him to understand many truths about this world.
The most likely and easiest to think of was Nozdormu, the Bronze Dragon King, but ever since he was driven mad by an illusion shown by an Ancient God, which led to the birth of Murozond, he had hidden himself within the River of Time.
That realm was a place even the Old Gods couldn't corrupt; they could only act when Nozdormu appeared in the real plane.
Since Deathwing's demise, Nozdormu's whereabouts had become even more mysterious; he had virtually disappeared from this world with the Bronze Dragon.
The Blue Dragon and Red Dragon also suffered heavy losses due to Neltharion's death and were now too preoccupied to care about other matters, which was why Xavius dared to target Ysera.
Otherwise, if he provoked all the dragons at once, even Xavius would have to weigh his own strength.
The disappearance of the Guardian's power led to the Nightmare's strengthening, and Xavius's power did indeed increase, but the dragons did not solely rely on the Guardian's power to reach their current state.
In ancient times, long before the elves even appeared, proto-dragons were already top predators, and this level of solidification has continued to this day.
Xavius's master had not yet fully escaped the "cage," so Xavius did not want to escalate matters before then. There was also an important reason: the Old Gods did not want to see the Burning Legion destroy the world.
The Old Gods had always only wanted to cleanse the life on Azeroth, causing all those annoying Titan constructs and their descendants to perish.
But these Old Gods were the least willing to see Azeroth explode like fireworks, because their task and purpose were to turn Azeroth into a subjugated Titan, cleansing the entire material universe.
If Sargeras succeeded in destroying Azeroth, then the Old Gods attached to Azeroth would also face death. Therefore, Xavius and his master were actually waiting for the Burning Legion and Azeroth to suffer mutual losses, so they could reap the benefits.
Therefore, Xavius was not only worried about Arthas's sudden appearance but was also pondering what faction and power he truly represented.
However, the Nightmare King probably never dreamed that Arthas's arrival was not the will of any existing entity, but a complete and utter accident.
Furthermore, Arthas was far too familiar to the lives of Azeroth; they knew most of this prince's actions before and after his fall. Thus, Xavius made a fatal error.
He believed that Arthas was not much different from the prince of this world, and even including the Ashbringer, he was only "slightly above a mortal hero."
Most of his vigilance, attention, and plans were still focused on Ysera.
Walking through the forest, Arthas also noticed that Xavius's gaze had dissipated. He said to Tyrande, "Xavius has noticed us—which means he has most likely gained control of Malfurion."
Malfurion was a very important part of Xavius's plan. Before gaining control of the Arch Druid, Xavius would not devote too much attention to observing other aspects.
And he had just felt a sense of being spied upon, which could only mean that Malfurion and elune's tears had likely fallen into Xavius's hands.
However, this was not bad news for Arthas and Tyrande; it allowed them to determine Xavius's whereabouts.
Because Arthas knew Xavius's purpose, since the Nightmare King intended to corrupt Ysera with elune's tears, he would surely act in the place where Nightmare power was most concentrated, and since Malfurion was the bait, he would also be in that location.
"Lady, can you contact Ysera? We may need to quicken our pace."
Tyrande, worried about Malfurion's safety, naturally did not hesitate. She immediately used the power granted to her by the Moon Goddess to try and communicate with Ysera.
Ysera, high in the sky, was attempting to purify a corrupted area. Tyrande's voice interrupted Ysera's actions at this moment: "Ysera, we need your help. Please tell us the core of the Nightmare's power outflow."
"You need to continue heading north until you truly reach the roots of Shaladrassil. That is the breach where the Nightmare flows into reality, and it is also the source of this corruption.
If you truly intend to go there, please be extremely careful. My power cannot offer you much assistance in that place."
After receiving the message, the two quickly rushed towards Shaladrassil's location. As they delved deeper along this path, they felt the Nightmare's influence on reality increase with every step.
Arthas and Tyrande were protected by the Light and the Moon Goddess respectively; these Nightmares, which could drive ordinary creatures to madness and distortion, posed no threat to them.
But all of this was enough to make anyone's heart pound, for this was not the true core of the Nightmare's power, only a small portion flowing out of the Emerald Dream. One can only imagine how severe the corrupted areas within the Emerald Dream truly were.
Thinking of her beloved's safety, Tyrande's travel speed quickened a few points, and Arthas silently followed behind Tyrande.
After some time, they passed through mountains and wilderness and arrived at the town of Shaladrassil, directly beneath Shaladrassil. This was once a place where the Druids responsible for guarding the World Tree resided.
However, the sight before them made Tyrande's arms tremble with anger. The once peaceful and serene town was now enveloped in a dark red mist, and rampant, corrupted roots appeared in every corner of the town.
The once harmonious cottages, coexisting with the World Tree, were now strangely twisted by roots, and even the lake outside the town had grown corrupted World Tree roots. On these thorn-like roots, some Druid corpses hung.
Even more heartbreaking was that a considerable number of Druids had survived this sudden catastrophe. However, they were now experiencing a fate more painful than death.
The Nightmare had corrupted their minds and twisted their thoughts. Now, they had become the very objects they once most hated, spreading corruption and decay throughout the forest. Trapped by the Nightmare, they still believed they were fighting against it, and their corruption was actually "purification."
Such an influence constantly spread from the base of Shaladrassil's trunk. If not dealt with quickly, it would eventually engulf the entire world!