Swamp Elemental Dragon

Li Ziran bent down, took out a red rope to tie up its hind legs, then hung it from his waist before letting out a long breath.

The Necromancer's Rope and his blood were double insurance. As long as it was restrained by these two methods, even the greatest figure could forget about escaping the shackles of the Transformation Spell.

Intermediate Mage.

At least two gold coins. But its true value did not lie in the slave trade—it lay in its organs.

Humans had the most developed brains. Their extraordinary cerebral development allowed them to decipher the elemental arrangements within the Elemental Tide. Yet what people pursued most fiercely in the slave markets were the unique magical organs humans formed by drawing power from the Elemental Tide.

Elemental Gland.

Possessing an Elemental Gland was equivalent to opening the door to magic, just as a wizard who possessed the Devouring Curse could open the Spirit World.

There were simply too many races in this world that wished to peer into magic. Such feverish pursuit brought terrifyingly high prices.

An Elemental Gland from a Lesser Mage was worth three gold coins, while one from an Intermediate Mage fetched as much as seven.

Li Ziran stroked the frog at his waist. This wealth made his palm tremble. Since surviving on the Wasteland, this was the most valuable spoils he had ever obtained.

After the excitement passed, he quickly calmed down. He had to leave this place. From Hogg's conversation, he had learned that Karen could use Mind Reading. That meant Karen had complete control over everything about him, including his thoughts.

Hogg's ability to lock onto him and resist the Transformation Spell was clearly related to Mind Reading.

It could even be said that the moment he captured Hogg, Karen had already known everything.

To test his conjecture, Li Ziran turned and ran toward where he had hidden his spoils. When he saw that every frog had vanished from the thoroughly dug-up sandpit, he could not help but laugh.

All his efforts had been nothing but a wasted trip.

Whoosh!

A gust of cold wind swept past.

Li Ziran abruptly turned around, terrified that Karen might appear behind him at that moment. Fortunately, there was nothing there.

"What should I do?" Li Ziran asked Annie in his mind.

This time, there was no reply. Annie seemed to understand that all her conversations with Li Ziran could be read, so she chose to avoid speaking.

Li Ziran looked at the boundless yellow sands, his eyes filled with resolve. He could die, but he could not become someone else's plaything.

Bzz!

At that moment, the ground suddenly shook.

Before Li Ziran could recover, another violent tremor came from underground, followed by even fiercer vibrations spreading outward.

Ooooh!

The Bipedal Corpse Dragon roared excitedly, like a child who had discovered a new toy, digging through the yellow sand with increasing desperation.

In an instant, sand filled the sky.

Yet at that moment, an eerie azure glow appeared amid the yellow sand, like a blazing sun emerging on a rainy day—clear and limpid, as transparent as lake water.

The azure light shot out and landed on the Corpse Dragon's head. Its hardest skull melted instantly, exposing crimson-white bone.

"Swallow it!"

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out, filled with uncontrollable excitement.

It came from within the Corpse Dragon. No—it came from its mouth.

"Swallow it!"

The voice cried out again, even more excited than before.

The Corpse Dragon's skull was melting, yet its jaws stretched to their limit. Its claws pressed tightly against the ground, as though trying to drag something out.

Its tail lashed ceaselessly through the air, booming again and again.

With every strike, the entire space seemed to crack apart once.

The Corpse Dragon opened its mouth, trying to swallow the sudden ball of azure light. Yet no matter how hard it tried, it could not advance even half a foot.

"Sacrifice them. Swallow it!"

The voice suddenly became grim and severe. Li Ziran saw the Corpse Dragon trembling, and the entire yellow plain trembling as well.

Along with that sinister cry, Fire Elephants crawled up from underground one after another. But in an instant, black mist wound around them; their flesh withered, their bones decayed, and they turned back into clumps of black mist that surged into the Corpse Dragon.

Fire Elephants, Fishmen, Snake Women—these creatures crawled out of the ground one by one, then were destroyed like bubbles.

"Madness! Madness! Karen, this isn't yours alone!"

At that moment, an aged voice roared through the dust, seemingly trying to forcibly suppress that voice.

Li Ziran saw clearly. It was Rhine, the Thornflower Slave-Trading Corps member who guarded the warehouse. He was frantically waving his hands and roaring at the Corpse Dragon's head.

At that moment, with countless living beings sacrificed, the Corpse Dragon gained abundant deathly energy. That energy gathered above its head, and its completely rotten skull seemed about to grow back.

Rhine's cries received no response. No—he received an answer.

His body was withering, shriveling at a rate visible to the naked eye. His eyes opened to their limit as he screamed desperately.

"No! Karen, you can't do this!"

His voice finally stopped. Like the other living creatures, he became a clump of black mist and burrowed into the Corpse Dragon.

Li Ziran watched in horror. These living creatures had gone from appearing to being destroyed in the blink of an eye.

Fire Elephants, Fishmen, Snake Women, and that precious Rhine Lion.

Li Ziran seemed to see precious gold coins turning into black mist one after another.

What an extravagant move.

The Corpse Dragon had already swollen to twice its size. Its huge mouth could nearly swallow a small island. Opening and closing its jaws, it finally caught that ball of Clear Azure Light in its mouth.

But the light was like steel; it simply could not bite through it.

Suddenly, streams of black light began to seep from the Corpse Dragon's teeth. It was the Black Nightmare Light Li Ziran knew all too well.

The Black Nightmare Light wrapped around the outer layer of the Clear Azure Light. With a bang, it forcibly compressed the beam of light by a full ring.

Anesthesia and suppression.

Li Ziran suddenly thought of the Black Nightmare Fang's special ability.

At that moment, Karen was using that acquired pressure against this abruptly appearing Clear Azure Light.

It seemed highly effective.

So this ball of Clear Azure Light was his true objective.

"Was all this really necessary?"

Li Ziran smiled to himself. If he had known Karen wanted this, they could have cooperated. Why go through so many twists and turns?

In the blink of an eye, the azure light began collapsing inward. Other colors appeared within the blue, and he could vaguely make out yellow and black. The two beams collided continuously, then fused into new azure light.

The instant the yellow and azure appeared, the Corpse Dragon's two enormous feet stepped directly onto the azure glow, as though it wanted to forcefully swallow it into its belly.

Bzz!

At that moment, the entire ground began to shake.

Just as Li Ziran thought another earthquake had begun, the sandy ground beneath him suddenly tilted. His whole body was abruptly lifted higher, and when he came back to his senses, he found himself atop a sandy hill as tall as more than a dozen buildings.

Following the yellow sand with his gaze, he saw a massive ridge descending straight toward the distant horizon.

Roar!

This roar was even more violent, making space hum and ring.

Li Ziran looked toward the source of the roar. It had actually come from inside the yellow sand, and the yellow sand had now piled high into the clouds.

What was going on?

Why had the Wasteland stood up?

"It... it's Lord Dragon! He's alive!" Annie cried excitedly in his mind.

A dragon?

Was this a dragon?

Wasn't it far too huge? It was practically an entire mountain range.

But before Li Ziran could recover from his shock, he saw the Corpse Dragon's claws plunge straight into the deepest part of the yellow sand.

Roar!

The roar was miserable.

Rolling heaps of sand fell from the sky. Mixed among countless grains of yellow sand, Li Ziran plummeted straight toward the ground.

At this rate, even if he was not smashed to death, he would be buried beneath the yellow sand.

[Transformation Spell · Snake]

Li Ziran turned himself into a yellow-skinned snake. Its scales scraped against the sand as it kept climbing upward.

Bang!

He finally hit the ground. The tremendous rebound launched him high into the air, before he crashed back down again.

He coiled in a serpentine curve, using the yellow sand to finally steady himself. When he came to a stop, he discovered that beneath him lay a sand dune half a mountain thick.

The sand no longer fell away. At last, he could clearly see the full appearance of the Wasteland that had risen up.

Four thick limbs like mountain pillars supported an enormous cluster of mountains. Hill after hill extended into the sky in rolling waves, reaching their peak before forming a tall, pointed mountain ridge.

Like a lighthouse.

The top of the lighthouse seemed crowned, and beneath that crown was row upon row of slender, mountain-spike-like fangs.

A dragon!

He had seen a dragon, but it was unlike what he had imagined.

Its surface was not covered in thick scales, but rolling sand dunes. It had no enormous dragon wings of legend, and it did not even have eyes.

There were only its sharp dragon teeth and its belly as huge as a mountain range.

Terrifying.

Li Ziran was certain that this was not the Swamp Dragon's original appearance. Judging by its form, it should have been even larger than what he saw now. But its lifespan had come to an end, and beneath the Wasteland's unique Elemental Tide, its powerful body was turning to sand.

It was terrifying, but also tragic.

This was a dragon!

Even a creature that had evolved to the pinnacle could not escape falling in the end.

Although the yellow sand in the air remained under control, as time passed, more and more sand would fall away.

"Sacrifice them! Everyone, sacrifice yourselves to me!"

The frenzied cry drowned out everything. It was Karen's voice.

The instant he saw the dragon appear, he was not afraid—he was excited.

At that moment, Li Ziran felt an eerie force pulling at him, as though it wanted to turn him into a current of air and draw him into the Corpse Dragon. He hurriedly wrapped himself in spiritual force.

Bzz!

The frog soul at his waist floated out, and in an instant, drifted into the Corpse Dragon.

That was Hogg's soul.

Li Ziran felt his scalp go numb, yet at the same time he could not help admiring Karen's sheer audacity.

Though they were enemies now, using the sacrifice of an entire slave-trading corps to capture a dying dragon was not courage an ordinary person could possess.

If he could survive this disaster, he absolutely had to develop Karen into one of his VIP clients.

A person like this was simply too suited for befriending.

At that moment, atop the Corpse Dragon, the Necromancer's figure appeared. He cried unwillingly, "Karen, I want to control the Corpse Dragon. Spare me."

Such pleading earned him nothing but Karen's even crazier voice.

"Baturu, I'm sorry. You saw it—it has reached the end of its road. I need the final strength. Don't worry. I will summon you, I will resurrect you. I will never forget everything you have done for me."

"No, I don't want to!" The Necromancer shook his head desperately, but he could not control his body as it turned to vapor. Amid unwilling cries, he became a stream of air and surged into the Corpse Dragon.

At that moment, the Corpse Dragon's body had expanded to its limit, yet compared with the dragon, it was still far too small.

The dragon writhed, and the entire sky shook violently.

The Corpse Dragon's claws were wedged in the sandpile, liable to fall at any moment.

Yet its mouth bit down tightly on that ball of Clear Azure Light, Black Nightmare energy constantly spraying from between its teeth.

At that moment, the Black Nightmare energy had completely liquefied.

"No, it's still not enough!" Karen cried madly.

Along with his cry, the Corpse Dragon's tail began turning into vapor, becoming currents of air that drilled into its head. Next came its enormous body and two wings. In the end, even the claws embedded in the dragon's body melted away.

Only two rows of teeth and a mechanically crafted stomach remained.

Creak! Creak!

Mechanical components meshed desperately, while the glow of magic stones flowed wildly.

Among those parts, tiny Dwarves busily injected all kinds of lubricants and Mithril. But even they gradually turned into currents of air.

At that moment, Li Ziran actually began worrying for Karen.

The Dwarves turning to vapor was equivalent to letting the teleportation array operate on its own. If he still failed, it would truly be a case of all previous efforts going down the drain.

Instead, he did not want to see Karen fail.

It was not sympathy, but mutual recognition.

He could not bear to watch an ambitious man stake all his abilities, only to be met with failure.

He liked success.

He liked even more making acquaintances with those who had the ability and qualifications to fight for success.

Karen's figure finally appeared, at the Corpse Dragon's gums where Li Ziran had once led him.

His eyes had been completely replaced by madness. His former control, wisdom, and calculations had vanished without a trace, replaced by an unshakable focus.

At that moment, Li Ziran seemed to see himself performing surgery.

"Eat it!"

"Eat it! Swallow it!"

Cry after cry came from Karen's mouth.

The Black Nightmare Light no longer flowed. A squeaking sound spread across the Wasteland.

The azure light grew less and less, while the black and yellow lights grew increasingly abundant. Finally, the yellow light naturally condensed toward the left while the black light gathered toward the right. With the Clear Azure Light as their dividing line, the two lights formed a gigantic dragon heart striped in yellow and black.

Thump!

The sound was extremely soft.

Yet this sound, one that could have been ignored at any moment, tugged at every nerve.

The black-and-yellow heart-shaped object passed through the neck, slid into the stomach, and vanished within a gray, hazy beam of teleportation light.