Chapter 160: World's Drastic Changes

After teaching them the potion system, Xiaonaohu Xiasan no longer concerned himself with their development, allowing them to grow independently while he spent his remaining years with Linda.

One day, Linda passed away.

Xiaonaohu Xiasan stood silently before the grave, a group of young people gathered behind him.

"I, too, will soon depart this world," he said calmly. "With the two of us, the last wizards of the old era, leaving this world one after another, the glory of wizardry will finally come to an end."

"Master..."

The young people behind him choked back sobs.

The foundational path had been laid for these young people; the splendid era to come would be shaped by them.

In truth, he could have continued to cultivate; following the potion system remained a viable option. However, he was simply too weary. With Linda gone, he felt utterly lost and yearned for rest.

"Bury me alongside Linda."

The era moved forward.

**New Divine Era, Year 207**

In a brightly lit study, a young man in his twenties, clad in magnificent attire, sat at a dark desk. He held a white quill pen, periodically dipping it in ink as he wrote on expensive parchment.

"New Divine Era, Year 207, Sunlit Year Eleven, September 20th. I once again implore His Majesty, my father, to reinforce the border armies. The Orc Kingdom is restless, yet my father remains lost in the gentle embrace of the Grand Consort."

Wesley sighed deeply, at a loss for what to do.

"Crown Prince Wesley, Third Prince Albert requests an audience," a maid's soft voice announced from outside the door.

"Albert? Hasn't he been searching for ancient ruins across the world? Let him enter."

Inside the room, sunlight streamed through the windows. Albert faced his elder brother, Wesley, and presented the knowledge he had acquired. "These are the two major potion pathways."

He had deliberately withheld the power of the potion system from his father, who was already in decline. Wesley, however, was a man of great ambition and strategic brilliance, a true leader for their generation. Albert understood his own strengths: he was a general suited for the battlefield, not an emperor capable of ruling an entire kingdom. His brother, Wesley, possessed the true qualities of a ruler: sagacious, courageous, strategically brilliant, and decisive.

He had not, however, revealed the necromancer's pathway formula. That power was too malevolent, and he did not wish for it to exist in this world.

"The last two wizards from the ancient era, legendary mythical heroes, the first Holy Maiden of Light, the Book of Light…" As Wesley listened to his brother's account, his initial thought was that Albert had lost his mind. It was only after Albert demonstrated his power that Wesley, in his astonishment, became convinced.

He gazed towards the royal palace. "It seems the time has come for someone new to sit on the throne," he mused.

**New Divine Era, Year 208**

King Birmingham passed away due to illness. Emperor Wesley ascended the throne, and the entire nation celebrated!

A "Fighter" pathway within the potion system was quietly released, igniting a nationwide craze for cultivation. Emperor Wesley was, to some extent, truly a visionary leader. He was willing to entrust this formidable power to the populace, rather than monopolizing it for his inner circle and military alone. Of course, he still kept the "Spellblade" pathway secret. Only the "Fighter" potion pathway was permitted for public cultivation, ensuring that the general populace would focus solely on pure physical combat.

**New Divine Era, Year 212**

In the New Divine Era, Year 212, the Orc Kingdom managed to steal the secrets of the "Fighter" potion pathway, which had been circulating among the human populace. Astonishingly, the orcs also succeeded in cultivating it!

In reality, orcs inherently possess a primary gene, and integrating a secondary gene is virtually impossible without first expanding their genetic capacity; they would inevitably be stuck. However, what if they were to integrate it incrementally, bit by bit? Perhaps it's akin to a sprout breaking through compacted soil: a complete gene cannot be integrated into the body all at once, but if divided into seven parts and introduced inch by inch, it might force open the secondary genetic slot. Years ago, Medusa herself pioneered her own "Deification Method," expanding genetic capacity through her unique approach. This current, unexpected development might offer another pathway to unlocking the secondary gene.

In any case, the Orc Kingdom now also possessed the means to cultivate the potion system. Nevertheless, the emergence of the potion system ultimately proved to be more beneficial than detrimental, as humanity now possessed the strength to resist the orcs.

**New Divine Era, Year 213**

In New Divine Era, Year 213, Emperor Wesley dispatched Albert and members of the Gwent Card Church to the Balchik Monster Mountain Range to guard the frontier. This particular monster mountain range served as a vast natural barrier between the two kingdoms. It was not only subject to frequent raids by orc cavalry but also terrifying monster hordes, making it an exceedingly perilous territory.

"If he hadn't exiled me, but instead kept me by his side, he wouldn't be worthy of being a true leader; he'd merely be a brother," Albert mused. "After all, as a Level 3 Fighter, with my honed muscles, strengthened bones, and toughened skin, I could easily kill him at any moment. He needs to develop his own loyal fighting force before he'll allow me to return."

Albert arrived by carriage at the secluded small town, addressing the members of the Gwent Card Society. "We shall become the masters of this land," he declared, "guarding the border and the Monster Forest."

**New Divine Era, Year 218**

The world's geopolitical landscape underwent another dramatic shift.

The Orc nation launched a full-scale invasion. Their forces bypassed the Monster Woods, where Albert was stationed, entering the country and heading directly for the royal capital!

Inside the Royal Palace.

"Ridiculous!" exclaimed a minister, having verified the intelligence. "A mere elite unit of fewer than a thousand Behemoth Orcs dares to penetrate deep into our nation's heartland, and led personally by this generation's Orc King, Hellscream Brom, no less!" He couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Behemoths were massive orcs, over two meters tall, characterized by tentacles atop their heads and possessing immense strength. The origin of the Behemoths was said to be from the great Alchemist Emperor of old. Seated upon his throne, he had looked upon these orcs with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "These orcs have silly tufts on their heads," he was said to have remarked, "are they trying to see who's cuter? Let's call them Behemoths, then." And so, the name stuck.

Now, Orc King Brom, leading a mere thousand troops, had ventured deep into the human nation's heartland, intending a surprise attack directly on the capital. By all accounts, it seemed like a suicidal move!

A hawkish minister bellowed, "Emperor Wesley, we must launch a preemptive strike! A mere thousand men! If their Orc King falls, humanity can surely counterattack the Orc Kingdom. This is a monumental strategic blunder on their part!"

Emperor Wesley lowered his gaze. "Is Brom insane? I don't believe so; I know him too well. But how could he deliberately seek his own demise? To invade our nation with only a thousand troops? I cannot fathom it. Send a thousand cavalry to scout ahead and test their strength."

Two days later, a contingent of a thousand cavalry arrived at Ian Town.

The entire town lay in utter devastation, permeated by the thick scent of blood. Everywhere lay a gruesome scene of carnage, with collapsed buildings and broken walls. Human corpses were scattered everywhere, alongside over three hundred orc corpses.

"This is truly hell."

The cavalry commander's face twisted in grief as he surveyed the scene. "This is a war of races!" he cried. "Those orcs are damned butchers!" Yet, a moment later, a subtle unease crept into his mind. "But how can there be over three hundred orc bodies in this small town?"

According to intelligence, a thousand orcs invaded; how could three hundred of them lie dead here? Ian Town was known to be a civilian settlement in the heart of the kingdom, completely devoid of any defensive forces. How could its ordinary residents have managed to kill three hundred orcs? Another peculiar detail was the numerous empty vials and test tubes scattered across the town. It was as if the orcs had conducted some kind of experiment here.

"Mother!!"

One heavy armored cavalryman, who hailed from Ian Town, frantically dismounted and rushed towards his home. He found a massive orc corpse that had crashed through and destroyed half the building. The house was empty, devoid of any living soul.

"Damn the orcs! The orcs!" the cavalryman roared, frantically swinging his longsword, repeatedly stabbing the green-skinned orc's corpse, his eyes blazing with hatred. *Thwack! Thwack!* But as he plunged his blade into the orc, riddling it with holes, and finally slumped back, panting from exhaustion, he made a horrifying discovery: this particular orc was an elderly female. Her massive body had crushed half the house, and her aged face was contorted, yet he could vaguely discern its familiar contours—

Twisted,Agonized, shattered,The orc's features were horrifyingly similar to his own mother's.

"Who is this?"

A chill ran through the young soldier. He stumbled backward, frantically backing away until he violently hit the wall behind him, his legs instantly giving way beneath him. "How could this tall, green-skinned orc possibly look like my mother...?"

A disturbing realization began to spread amongst them, and everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

"We press on," the cavalry commander growled.

They continued their advance. In every ruined town they encountered, there were almost no human bodies, only scattered orc remains. Moreover, the number of orc corpses had already far exceeded a thousand. Furthermore, in every town, the ground was littered with empty, used reagent vials.

An eerie atmosphere spread through the ranks of the soldiers.

"Can anyone tell me what happened?!""My God!""Where are the human bodies?!""Why are these human towns filled entirely with orc bodies? So many orcs!"