Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “This Is a Bowl of Tofu Pudding”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran reluctantly tastes a revolting stone slurry offered by the Black Dragon, disguising it as “a bowl of tofu pudding” to overcome his disgust.
• The slurry unexpectedly sticks to his tongue with immense force, nearly injuring him, but it is absorbed directly rather than swallowed.
• He realizes the slurry is a rare mono-element substance, formed underground away from the Elemental Tide. Its purity suggests it may be a high-tier Trace Element or even an Ultimate Element.
• Li Ziran processes the slurry through his Devouring Stomach, producing thirty-seven bottles of highly concentrated white element.
• Testing the element causes a specimen eye to petrify his hand, revealing it to be an exceptionally powerful Stone Element, capable of creating Medusa-like petrification abilities.
• He proceeds to refine the other gifts:
  • Lava produces a pale pink element that causes strange spot-like markings on living creatures, possibly forming an array.
  • Black stone produces a pure, top-tier purple Fire Element, which Li Ziran plans to use in his Primordial Elf body-shell.
  • Blood bead produces an oily green element identical in taste and nature to Frog Sweat, suggesting it is the essential source of Frog Transformation.
• Injecting the green element into himself allows Li Ziran to transform into a frog instantly and instinctively, without consciously forming a Transformation Array.

Character Development

• Li Ziran’s initial disgust gives way to intense curiosity and excitement once he recognizes the slurry’s elemental value.
• His scientific and experimental nature becomes prominent: he carefully tests each substance rather than merely admiring it.
• He demonstrates growing confidence in his abilities and understanding of elemental theory, identifying the rarity and potential uses of the materials.
• His discovery of the Frog Transformation element profoundly changes his understanding of his own talent. Transformation is revealed to be more fundamental and instinctive than he previously believed.
• His relationship with the Black Dragon improves through gratitude and admiration; he views the offered materials as extraordinary treasures rather than mere gifts.

Significant Themes

• Discovery beneath disgust: Something visually repulsive can conceal immense value.
• Elemental purity and rarity: The chapter expands the world’s elemental system, introducing mono-elements and suggesting that extremely pure substances can reach unprecedented tiers.
• Experimentation and knowledge: Li Ziran advances by testing, observing, and connecting sensory evidence with theory.
• Transformation and instinct: The frog transformation shows that some abilities may originate from elemental essences rather than spells or arrays.
• Potential and creation: The rare Stone and Fire Elements offer possibilities for designing powerful organs and new forms of life, especially Li Ziran’s Primordial Elf body-shell.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran’s main interaction is with the Black Dragon, whose gifts provide the chapter’s discoveries. Though the dragon does not need to persuade him after the first taste, Li Ziran becomes increasingly grateful and eager to examine everything provided.
• The robot functions as Li Ziran’s processing tool, absorbing and refining the materials through the Devouring Stomach.
• Li Ziran’s thoughts also connect the new elements to previously encountered beings and abilities, including Medusa’s petrification, the Fire Crane’s lava, and the elemental basis of Frog Transformation.
• By the end, Li Ziran is so impressed by the Black Dragon’s generosity that he jokingly imagines giving it an enthusiastic kiss.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran is overwhelmed by the rare Frog Elements gifted by the Black Dragon. These elements grant flesh and blood the ability to retain the characteristics of Frog Transformation, making them especially valuable for his research.
• He realizes the Black Dragon’s generosity is not merely transactional. Instead of demanding organs or research in return, the dragon offered him several precious elements out of genuine admiration and respect.
• Moved by this friendship, Li Ziran decides to help improve the Black Dragon’s bloodline, even if the work requires significant effort.
• Li begins a full examination of the dragon’s body. He sends a Corpse Witch through the Black Dragon’s mouth and internal organs to map its anatomy.
• The examination reveals that the Great Dragon’s stomach is enormous and filled with extremely corrosive gastric acid. Its body also contains several unusual structures:
  • A mysterious

Dragon Pearl

• A distinct Magic Network beneath the skin
• Complex systems beyond ordinary blood vessels and meridians
• What was expected to take three hours expands into a three-day project because of the dragon’s immense size and complicated physiology.
• During the examination, the Black Dragon boasts that its Dungeon is open-minded and democratic, claiming that all creatures are free to study, reproduce, and live there.
• Li notices that the Dungeon is actually governed by a strict hierarchy. Lesser creatures are terrified of the Black Dragon and remain far away, exposing the contradiction between its claims and its authoritarian rule.
• To prove its “democratic” nature, the Black Dragon orders Fire Crane to invite everyone—including surface creatures—to observe Li’s organ-transplant research. It then threatens Fire Crane with Dragon Flame for hesitating, immediately undermining its own argument.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran develops genuine affection and respect for the Black Dragon. He comes to view it as a true friend rather than merely a valuable business partner.
• Li’s trust is shown when he refuses to exploit the Black Dragon’s vulnerability, despite recognizing that its organs and body parts could make him extremely wealthy.
• His scientific curiosity grows as he encounters the unique anatomy of Great Dragons, particularly the Dragon Pearl and Magic Network.
• The Black Dragon is portrayed as generous, emotionally sincere, childish, boastful, and socially naïve. It admires Li as a master after only a brief lesson and offers him its greatest treasures.
• Although the dragon presents itself as friendly and democratic, its behavior reveals insecurity, vanity, and a strong authoritarian streak. It desperately wants Li’s approval.
• Fire Crane remains frightened and obedient, serving as evidence of the Black Dragon’s oppressive authority despite its claims of benevolence.

Significant Themes

• Friendship beyond profit: Li initially interprets relationships through value and exchange, but the Black Dragon’s sincere generosity convinces him that genuine affection can exist independently of practical benefit.
• Trust and vulnerability: The Black Dragon allows Li to examine and enter its body without suspicion, while Li honors that trust by refusing to harm or exploit it.
• Science and discovery: The chapter emphasizes the complexity of Great Dragon biology and expands the world’s understanding of magical anatomy.
• Hypocrisy and self-deception: The Black Dragon insists it is democratic even while intimidating and threatening its subjects. Its definition of freedom is shaped by its position as ruler rather than by the experiences of those beneath it.
• Power and hierarchy: The behavior of Fire Crane, the Dark Giant Bears, and the Hellfire creatures shows the rigid social order within the Dungeon.
• Comedic contrast: The Black Dragon’s grand claims of openness are repeatedly undercut by its explosive temper and use of threats.

Character Interactions

• Li and the Black Dragon share a warm, increasingly personal relationship. Li thanks it for the “sumptuous dinner,” greatly encouraging the dragon.
• The Black Dragon enthusiastically permits Li to inspect any part of its body and even jokes that it could capture another dragon for Li to dissect.
• Li calmly explains the examination process, while the Black Dragon responds with complete, almost absurd confidence.
• Li listens as the Black Dragon tries to justify its treatment of the Dungeon’s inhabitants. Rather than confronting it directly, he humorously agrees, recognizing that the dragon is seeking reassurance.
• The dragon repeatedly turns to Fire Crane for confirmation, but Fire Crane’s fear makes the truth obvious.
• In the final exchange, the Black Dragon orders Fire Crane to open the examination to observers, then threatens it for hesitating before once again asking Li whether this proves it is democratic.

Li Ziran began examining the Black Dragon before a huge audience, intending to modify its organs with ultimate elements rather than perform a transplant. As observers watched remotely, a dragon mark appeared on the young Black Dragon, prompting Feng to rush underground to investigate.

• Creatures from across the continent gathered in the Black Dragon's cave while Li Ziran and the Corpse Witches studied the dragon's organs and considered how ultimate elements might strengthen it.
• The Li Ziran Association and thirty-eight elven Archmages planned expeditions, while Baron and a Dwarf hid their connections as Goblin and Dwarf elders sought information about Li Ziran.
• Feng watched the event through a Projection Spell and dismissed Li Ziran's work as a publicity stunt.
• A blue radiance appeared above the Black Dragon, and a multicolored marking began to form between its brows as space stirred.
• Feng recognized the marking as a dragon mark that a young Black Dragon should not be able to awaken and ordered a Griffin so he could investigate in person.

Feng arrived at the shaft and saw that Li Ziran’s surgery was awakening the Black Dragon’s dragon mark, drawing powerful races and ancient beings to watch. Fearing Li Ziran’s influence and the spread of the technique, Feng planned to sabotage the surgery with Dragon Saliva Grass, Hyacinth, and the Corrosion Orb.

• Feng ordered the Elemental Tower, the Triangle Council, and the mages and writers under his control to prepare for possible conflict, and requested Jenny’s organ-harvesting information.
• Feng entered the shaft and observed the Black Dragon’s growing dragon mark as Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, possession Demons, and members of the Ancient Clans watched Li Ziran’s surgery.
• Feng realized the surgery could give Li Ziran fame and a technique powerful enough to threaten the Ancient Clans, and considered ways to stop it.
• Feng recalled that Dragon Saliva Grass could poison dragons, then contacted the Poison Tower to obtain it.
• Feng devised a plan to have Hyacinth deliver the herb’s juice into the Black Dragon and use the Corrosion Orb after it fell unconscious.

Chapter Summary: “The Most Satisfying Photograph”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran continues modifying the Black Dragon’s body with Light Element, beginning with its eardrum. The Light Element reacts intensely with the dragon’s mucous membranes, creating glowing, interconnected elemental patterns and greatly improving the dragon’s hearing and sensitivity to dragon power.
• Because the Black Dragon is enormous and Li Ziran has limited Light Organs, he cannot restore its entire magical network. He plans only to modify several strategic areas: the brow, nostrils, eardrums, and a small portion of the corneas.
• Li Ziran studies the Black Dragon’s internal structure and elemental composition while performing the injections. He remains unaware of the larger conspiracy forming around him.
• Outside, green-robed Poison Tower mages infiltrate the shaft. They release tiny insects and activate Corrosion Orbs against the Adamantite Rock, sending Corrosive Poison toward the Black Dragon’s head. The poison is expected to take effect within minutes.
• Feng prepares a second attack: thirteen Archmages wait at the Grassland–Human border to kill escaping creatures and create the appearance of a Demon assault. Their real goal is to capture Li Ziran using his known soul signature.
• Feng also prepares a propaganda campaign to destroy Li Ziran’s reputation. He plans to label Li Ziran a cultist, declare the Li Ziran Association a corrupted church, and portray organ transplantation as evil.
• Jenny’s sensational photographs—especially images of rats consuming a human heart and a supposed “Li Ziran” dissecting an Elf—are intended to provoke public outrage and justify military action against him.
• Meanwhile, the Black Dragon experiences extreme itching from the modifications. It sneezes and accidentally unleashes bursts of Dragon Flame, injuring nearby observers and forcing many creatures to retreat.
• Li Ziran moves to modify the dragon’s nostrils. The Light Element begins forming golden patterns, but suddenly the Void Spirit World detects that the Black Dragon’s blood flow is slowing and its eyes are closing. Suspecting that something is wrong, Li Ziran tries to wake it before operating on its corneas.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran is shown as confident, methodical, and deeply fascinated by biological and elemental structures. He treats the Black Dragon as both a cooperative companion and an experimental subject, while still taking care not to harm it. His calmness contrasts sharply with the danger surrounding him.
• The Black Dragon becomes increasingly dependent on and obedient toward Li Ziran, behaving almost like an eager student. Its improved senses and elemental responsiveness make it ecstatic, though its lack of control causes accidental flame attacks. It also demonstrates surprising self-restraint when it realizes its sneezing could interfere with Li Ziran’s surgery.
• Feng is revealed as a calculating manipulator. He does not merely plan a physical assassination; he intends to erase Li Ziran’s legacy through coordinated propaganda, religious condemnation, fabricated evidence, and public fear.
• Jenny functions as an important tool in Feng’s campaign. Her photographs are designed to create emotional reactions rather than present truth, helping turn Li Ziran into a symbol of corruption.
• The Poison Tower mages and Archmages act as disciplined components of Feng’s larger operation, combining poison, military deception, and media manipulation.

Significant Themes

• Science and morality: Li Ziran’s organ work is portrayed as technically extraordinary but vulnerable to being framed as monstrous. The chapter questions whether the morality of an act can be controlled by how it is presented.
• Propaganda and manufactured truth: Feng relies on carefully selected images, misleading captions, and sensational reporting to make the public believe Li Ziran is a criminal. Facts matter less than the emotional interpretation imposed upon them.
• Trust and cooperation: The Black Dragon willingly allows Li Ziran to alter its body, creating a relationship based on curiosity, dependence, and mutual benefit.
• Control versus chaos: Li Ziran attempts to control elemental reactions and surgery, while the Black Dragon’s itching, sneezing, and fire bursts repeatedly threaten to disrupt the process. Feng, by contrast, seeks to control entire populations through coordinated planning.
• Scale and limitations: Li Ziran’s ambition to restore the Black Dragon’s full magical network is restricted by the dragon’s immense size and the scarcity of Light Organs, emphasizing the limits of even his abilities.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran and the Black Dragon share a playful but practical relationship. The dragon openly complains about itching and asks for help, while Li Ziran responds with blunt reassurance and mild irritation.
• The Black Dragon is obedient only toward Li Ziran; it remains hostile or careless toward other dungeon inhabitants, nearly crushing them when they approach.
• Li Ziran reprimands the dragon after its sneezing causes flames to injure nearby creatures, emphasizing that his surgery requires concentration and control.
• Feng’s relationship with Li Ziran is entirely adversarial and indirect. Rather than confronting him openly, Feng plans to poison the Black Dragon, trap Li Ziran during the ensuing chaos, and destroy his reputation through the press.
• The chapter ends with Li Ziran noticing the Black Dragon’s sudden deterioration, setting up an imminent confrontation between his medical work and Feng’s assassination plot.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran continues modifying the Black Dragon’s body with Light Element, this time treating the sensitive mucous membranes inside the nostrils.
• He carefully applies approximately 126 drops, observing branch-like patterns forming as the Light Element integrates with the tissue. The procedure initially appears successful.
• The Black Dragon suddenly develops a severe headache and begins violently smashing his head against the Adamantite Rock. His movements become uncontrollable, and Li Ziran stops the treatment, suspecting a dangerous reaction.
• The Black Dragon loses the ability to respond to Li Ziran, while his Dragon Flame erupts chaotically and injures or kills nearby observers. Elves, Dwarves, humans, and Archmages retreat behind defensive shields.
• Physical symptoms worsen: blood leaks from his neck and eyes, his blood vessels deteriorate, his brain activity weakens, and black, poisonous material seeps from his pores. Anyone exposed to the mist rapidly becomes discolored and poisoned.
• Li Ziran determines that the crisis is not caused by the Light Element. Instead, someone has introduced an exceptionally powerful Dark Element or poison into the sealed underground environment.
• Realizing that the contaminant is spreading through the Black Dragon’s bloodstream and threatening his internal organs, Li Ziran rejects relying on resurrection magic, fearing it may fail.
• He decides the only controllable way to save his friend is to remove him from the poisoned space by severing his head, declaring, “My lord, I’m going to cut off your head.”

2. Character Developments

• Li Ziran demonstrates increasing medical and elemental expertise, carefully analyzing the Black Dragon’s anatomy and monitoring the treatment through the Void Spirit.
• His initial confidence changes to alarm and then to decisive determination when the operation goes wrong. He remains calm under pressure and prioritizes saving the Black Dragon over investigating the culprit.
• Li Ziran’s relationship with the Black Dragon becomes clearer: although he recognizes the dragon as a tyrant, he considers him a genuine friend and is willing to take an extreme risk to preserve his life.
• The Black Dragon shifts from a cooperative patient to a creature in uncontrollable agony. He loses control of his body and Dragon Flame, appearing increasingly close to death.
• The surrounding mages and spectators move from observing the experiment to panicked survival, viewing the Black Dragon as an enraged “evil Dragon.”

3. Significant Themes

• Scientific experimentation and unintended consequences: Even careful elemental surgery can produce effects that the experimenter does not understand or anticipate.
• The limits of knowledge: Li Ziran’s detailed understanding of anatomy cannot explain the Black Dragon’s sudden collapse, showing that hidden forces remain beyond his current abilities.
• Friendship and sacrifice: Li Ziran chooses to save the Black Dragon despite the danger and the possibility that his drastic solution may cause further harm.
• Control versus chaos: The chapter contrasts Li Ziran’s methodical precision with the Black Dragon’s loss of control and the spreading disorder in the underground chamber.
• Hidden sabotage and danger: The crisis reveals that an unknown party has introduced a powerful dark, poisonous force, suggesting a larger threat behind the failed procedure.

4. Character Interactions

• Li Ziran communicates directly with the Black Dragon throughout the treatment, asking whether the procedure is painful and later calling out when the dragon stops responding.
• The Black Dragon’s inability to hear or answer Li Ziran heightens the sense of isolation and urgency.
• The mages and other observers focus on Li Ziran for an explanation, implicitly holding him responsible for the operation’s outcome.
• The Black Dragon’s rampage forces the surrounding Elves, Archmages, and other creatures to defend themselves and flee.
• The chapter ends with Li Ziran addressing the Black Dragon as a friend and informing him—almost apologetically—that he must cut off his head to save him.

Chapter Summary: “Dismembering the Black Dragon”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran determines that the Black Dragon is trapped in a poison-filled environment and will soon die from septicemia unless it is freed. His only viable solution is to remove its head, preserving the soul and body for later reconstruction.
• The Black Dragon agrees to the dangerous procedure, demonstrating that it still trusts Li Ziran despite the seemingly fatal nature of the operation.
• Using the “Luo” Element to weaken the dragon’s flesh and the Devouring Curse through his Devouring Serpent transformation, Li Ziran carefully cuts through the Black Dragon’s throat, nerves, membranes, and vertebrae.
• He extracts the Black Dragon’s Dragon Pearl, an immensely valuable source of dragon flame, and stores it away to resist the temptation to consume it.
• Li Ziran successfully severs the dragon’s head. His Corpse Witches then meticulously remove and preserve the head’s organs, tissues, scales, nerves, and other valuable components.
• The spectators are horrified and stunned, interpreting the operation as the gruesome dismemberment of a godlike ruler rather than a medical procedure.
• Feng secretly records the entire event and plans to release the footage to destroy Li Ziran’s reputation. He orders the Poison Tower to withdraw and mobilizes the Archmages to hunt Li Ziran.
• Li Ziran discovers that the poison has spread much farther through the Black Dragon’s organs than expected. He must quickly preserve the internal organs and bone marrow, the source of the dragon’s blood production.
• The immediate next step is extracting the Black Dragon’s soul before retreating.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Shows exceptional medical, anatomical, and magical expertise, as well as remarkable composure under pressure. He is willing to mutilate a priceless creature to save it, but he is also deeply saddened by the destruction of its unique tissues. The Black Dragon’s trust briefly reconnects him with his own sense of humanity, though exhaustion and urgency push him relentlessly onward.
• The Black Dragon: Despite the lethal procedure, it trusts Li Ziran enough to consent. Its continued cooperation suggests that some of its rationality and loyalty remain intact.
• Feng: Reveals himself as opportunistic and manipulative. He views the operation not as a rescue but as sensational material that can ruin Li Ziran and advance his own career.
• The Corpse Witches: Demonstrate extraordinary precision and efficiency, functioning like master surgeons or butchers as they preserve every valuable part of the dragon’s body.
• The spectators: Their awe and hope turn into fear and disbelief when they realize the “operation” involves decapitating and dismantling the Black Dragon.

Significant Themes

• Trust amid danger: The Black Dragon’s willingness to accept Li Ziran’s plan highlights the profound trust between them.
• Medicine versus appearance: Li Ziran is attempting a desperate life-saving procedure, but to outside observers it appears to be slaughter and exploitation.
• Greed and commodification: The dragon’s body is treated as a collection of priceless resources, attracting hunters and tempting even Li Ziran through the Dragon Pearl.
• Humanity and moral burden: Li Ziran’s sorrow over destroying the dragon’s irreplaceable tissues shows the emotional cost of using brutal methods for a potentially benevolent purpose.
• Information and reputation: Feng’s footage demonstrates how easily context can be erased and how public perception can be manipulated.
• Time and mortality: The spreading poison forces Li Ziran to act quickly, with every delay threatening the dragon’s survival.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran and the Black Dragon share a crucial moment of silent cooperation when the dragon agrees to the operation, reinforcing their bond.
• Li Ziran coordinates with the Corpse Witches, using their anatomical feedback and assistance to perform the complex dissection.
• The spectators collectively react with shock as the dragon’s head is removed and its body is dismantled, contrasting their expectations of a rescue with the horrific reality.
• Feng observes Li Ziran from a distance, interpreting his actions maliciously and preparing to turn the scene into propaganda.
• The chapter ends with Li Ziran focused entirely on saving the Black Dragon, while enemies outside begin closing in.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran enters the Black Dragon’s corpse through its neck wound while the body rapidly decays in the intense heat of the underground magma-filled cavern.
• With only about ten minutes before the dragon’s organs and blood are destroyed, he harvests its heart, liver, spleen, gallbladder, and other vital organs, storing them in Spatial Rings.
• Unable to locate the dragon’s soul in its brain or organs, Li Ziran transforms the Black Dragon into a frog to make its internal anatomy easier for him to navigate and understand.
• The transformation allows him to quickly search the dragon’s body, but he still finds no complete soul. The Corpse Witch eventually detects faint soul traces in the mucous membranes beneath the dragon’s skin.
• Li Ziran realizes that the Dragon Pearl is enclosed within these membranes and that the Black Dragon’s soul has been dispersed throughout the enormous membrane layer rather than stored in the pearl itself.
• He removes the Dragon Pearl and begins harvesting the membranes, discovering that separated pieces can fuse together and retain the dragon’s soul aura.
• Orc scavengers begin hacking into the corpse, followed by Elves, humans, Dwarves, and other creatures seeking valuable dragon flesh, blood, scales, and organs. Li Ziran uses the Devouring Formation and the Corpse Witch to collect the remaining membranes before the scavengers can reach them.
• When two hedgehog-like scavengers encounter him, Li Ziran incapacitates them with his monstrous transformation and continues his work.
• After filling ten Spatial Rings with membranes and collecting the dragon’s internal organs, Li Ziran prepares to reconstruct the Black Dragon and revive it.
• He disguises himself as an ordinary human and quietly escapes through the tunnel. After climbing 3,500 meters for two hours, he reaches the surface.
• Just as he attempts to leave the Grasslands, a mysterious figure blocks his path and mockingly asks, “Master, are you planning to leave so lightly?”

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Demonstrates calmness, adaptability, and expertise under extreme pressure. He abandons less important parts of the corpse, transforms the dragon into a frog to exploit his anatomical knowledge, and deduces the unusual relationship between the dragon’s soul, Dragon Pearl, and mucous membranes. His goal shifts from merely salvaging the corpse to reviving the Black Dragon and potentially using it to deal with the larger conspiracy.
• The Corpse Witch: Functions as Li Ziran’s essential investigative and logistical partner, scanning the corpse, detecting the hidden soul traces, relaying information about scavengers, and storing harvested materials.
• The Black Dragon: Though physically dead and dismembered, its soul survives in a dispersed form throughout its membranes, leaving open the possibility of resurrection.
• The scavengers: Their greed and opportunism become evident as they exploit the fallen dragon. Even powerful or supposedly dignified races abandon restraint when faced with the value of dragon remains.

Significant Themes

• Life, death, and resurrection: The chapter explores whether a being can remain alive through its soul even after its body has been destroyed, suggesting that the Black Dragon may be restored.
• Adaptation and specialized knowledge: Li Ziran succeeds not through brute force but by transforming the problem into one he understands, using frog anatomy to navigate the dragon’s body.
• The value and exploitation of power: The Black Dragon’s corpse becomes a resource fought over by every nearby race, exposing how quickly reverence turns into greed.
• Urgency versus composure: Although the dragon is decaying rapidly and enemies are approaching, Li Ziran succeeds by remaining methodical and focused.
• Hidden biological mysteries: The dragon’s mucous membranes and Dragon Pearl reveal that Great Dragons possess structures and soul mechanics unknown even to Li Ziran.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran works closely with the Corpse Witch, relying on its observations while directing the harvesting operation.
• He indirectly competes with the Orcs and other scavengers, allowing them to exploit the corpse while secretly collecting the materials most important to the dragon’s revival.
• He confronts two hedgehog scavengers and incapacitates them when they interfere with his mission.
• He observes the Orcs and Elves openly harvesting the dragon’s remains, noting the contrast between their public identities and their uncontrolled greed.
• At the chapter’s end, an unidentified figure confronts Li Ziran outside the underground passage, creating a cliffhanger and suggesting that his escape—and perhaps his connection to the Black Dragon—has been discovered.

Chapter Summary: “Li Ziran Needs Some Discipline”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran is confronted by an old fire mage who recognizes him as the famous Organ Master. The mage and his allies have been ordered to capture Li Ziran and bring him back alive.
• The attackers reveal that they have prepared a large force: three Title Magisters and ten Archmages. They surround Li Ziran with fire chains, falling blades, increased gravity, and compressed spatial elements.
• Li Ziran counters with the Forbidden Spell Zero-Degree Space, freezing the area and disabling many of the mages. The old fire mage survives by cutting off his frozen legs and replacing them with elemental limbs, demonstrating the Human Race’s advanced mastery of elementalization.
• Li Ziran’s laboratory activates and destroys one of the attackers’ machines while helping him resist the ambush. He uses his Freezing Organs to expose hidden enemies and freeze much of the battlefield.
• Several powerful mages transform into pure elemental forms to escape the effects of the ice spell. A wind mage and the fire mage work together to overpower and restrain Li Ziran, intending to preserve him as valuable “merchandise.”
• When the wind mage attempts to fling Li Ziran into the sky, Li Ziran transforms into a gigantic black serpent. He swallows the wind mage’s elemental body whole.
• The transformed Li Ziran then unleashes an enormous devouring force, pulling in the surrounding landscape, animals, and even the remaining fire mage. The fire mage realizes that Li Ziran has become the legendary Devouring Serpent, an ancient creature believed to be extinct.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran demonstrates caution, tactical intelligence, and growing combat ability despite possessing only a temporary body with limited organs. He prioritizes the Black Dragon’s resurrection over settling the Human Race’s attack immediately.
• He reveals that his strength is far greater than the enemy assumes. His Freezing Organs and Zero-Degree Space initially give him the advantage, while his serpent transformation reveals a terrifying hidden power.
• The old fire mage is shown to be ruthless and highly resilient. He uses elementalization to survive being frozen and becomes increasingly enraged when Li Ziran resists capture.
• The wind mage is arrogant and dismissive of Li Ziran, believing elementalization makes him immune to ordinary forbidden magic. His confidence leads to his sudden defeat and death.
• The attacking mages are revealed to possess advanced elemental bodies and Soul Transformation, allowing them to resist conventional spells. However, they severely underestimate Li Ziran’s true nature.

Significant Themes

• Underestimation and hidden power: The Human Race assumes Li Ziran is merely a Magister, but his organs, forbidden spells, and transformation abilities far exceed their expectations.
• Science versus magic: Li Ziran’s Organ Master techniques and laboratory technology compete directly with the mages’ elemental magic, suggesting that organ-based power may rival or surpass conventional magical advancement.
• The danger of forbidden knowledge: Both Zero-Degree Space and elementalization represent extraordinary powers that challenge normal limitations. Their use escalates the conflict rapidly.
• Predation and discipline: The attackers intend to control Li Ziran as valuable property, but their attempt to dominate him provokes a much more savage response.
• Urgency and priorities: Li Ziran refuses to waste time on revenge because resurrecting the Black Dragon is more important. Nevertheless, the ambush creates a debt he intends to settle later.

Character Interactions

• The old fire mage taunts Li Ziran and demands his cooperation, presenting the ambush as an “invitation” while warning him about the overwhelming numbers.
• Li Ziran responds calmly, freezing the fire mage and mocking him about the pain of being frozen.
• The fire and wind mages coordinate their attacks, treating Li Ziran as a valuable captive rather than an enemy to be killed.
• The wind mage ridicules Li Ziran’s resistance, but Li Ziran’s transformation abruptly reverses the power dynamic.
• After swallowing the wind mage, Li Ziran becomes a terrifying threat to everyone present, leaving the fire mage stunned as he recognizes the legendary Devouring Serpent.

Chapter Summary: “A Tough Nut to Crack!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran, transformed into the ancient Devouring Serpent, confronts a group of powerful elemental mages in the Wasteland. The serpent is an extinct Ancient Clan species whose true form can only exist in Derivative Space because it is incompatible with the current Elemental Tide.
• The mages launch a coordinated assault using fire, earth, wind, poison, and other spells. However, their magic is absorbed or dissolved upon touching Li Ziran’s body, revealing that his strength far exceeds their intelligence reports.
• The fire mage transforms into a gigantic Pure Fire Elemental Body, drawing in flames from the surrounding area and becoming physically strong enough to fight Li Ziran directly. Their battle devastates the landscape, melting the earth and creating a rain of fire.
• Li Ziran bites the fire mage, but the mage retaliates by climbing onto his neck and repeatedly striking his head. Because the fire mage can constantly replenish himself with Fire Element, he appears nearly inexhaustible.
• Li Ziran uses a Petrification Spell through a stream of stone slurry. The spell solidifies the fire mage’s intangible elemental body, allowing Li Ziran’s Devouring Curse to consume half of him.
• A Spatial Title Magister intervenes with a Spatial Rift Blade, cutting Li Ziran and breaking the Devouring Formation. The fire mage escapes and regenerates.
• Li Ziran attempts to devour the spatial mage, recognizing his Spatial Element body as an especially valuable “delicacy,” but the mage wounds Li Ziran’s tongue with a spatial blade. Both recognize the other as a dangerous and difficult opponent.
• The mages resume their coordinated assault. Poison from the green-robed mage begins petrifying and weakening Li Ziran’s bloodline, causing him to identify the poison mage as a priority target.
• Li Ziran attacks the green-robed mage, but the fire and spatial mages intervene, cutting and restraining him while the others bombard his body with spells.
• Li Ziran activates the Devouring Curse again and draws the spatial and fire mages into his attack. He attempts to weaken their elemental seals with Luo, but the spatial mage escapes after sensing danger from a hidden technique.
• Li Ziran releases a seemingly harmless stream of water. It destabilizes the fire mage’s elemental control, forcing the flames covering his body to disperse and exposing his Elemental Gland.
• Li Ziran immediately devours the exposed gland, sending his consciousness into the fire mage’s inner elemental core and gaining a decisive advantage.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Demonstrates overwhelming physical durability, instinctive resistance to magic, tactical adaptability, and growing confidence in using the Devouring Serpent’s abilities. Rather than relying solely on brute force, he combines devouring, petrification, Luo, and the mysterious water technique to exploit weaknesses in elemental bodies. His predatory instincts also intensify, especially toward rare elemental incarnations.
• Fire Mage: Initially attacks aggressively and proves capable of matching Li Ziran physically. His confidence stems from his ability to regenerate within the Elemental Tide, but he becomes terrified when petrification makes his body vulnerable to devouring. Despite nearly escaping, he is ultimately exposed when Li Ziran disrupts his elemental control.
• Spatial Mage: Emerges as the most cautious and technically formidable opponent. He saves the fire mage, repeatedly wounds Li Ziran with Spatial Rift Blades, and recognizes dangerous techniques quickly. However, his confidence is shaken by Li Ziran’s hidden abilities, and he retreats when he senses the water technique’s threat.
• Other Mages: Their coordinated attacks show discipline and desperation, but they are largely ineffective against Li Ziran’s defenses. The green-robed mage’s poison is one of the few attacks that visibly affects him.

Significant Themes

• Predator versus prey: The battle repeatedly reverses expectations. The mages believe they are hunting Li Ziran, but he increasingly treats them as sources of food and rare materials.
• Adaptation and obsolescence: The Devouring Serpent is an ancient species incompatible with the modern Elemental Tide, yet Li Ziran’s ability to exist in Derivative Space gives him an unexpected advantage.
• Brute force versus strategy: Raw power cannot defeat the fire mage’s regeneration or the spatial mage’s defenses. Li Ziran succeeds by identifying and exploiting structural weaknesses in their elemental bodies.
• The limits of elemental forms: Elemental bodies seem intangible and self-healing, but petrification, poison, spatial disruption, and attacks on their elemental seals or glands can make them vulnerable.
• Greed and instinct: Li Ziran’s desire to devour powerful elemental bodies is both a danger and a source of strength, guiding him toward valuable targets and new techniques.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran and the fire mage engage in a direct physical clash, with each attempting to bite, strike, and overpower the other.
• The spatial mage rescues the fire mage from Li Ziran’s Petrification Spell, establishing himself as the group’s most reliable counter to the serpent.
• Li Ziran and the spatial mage develop mutual recognition as formidable enemies after repeatedly injuring one another.
• Li Ziran targets the poison mage, but the fire and spatial mages cooperate to protect him and restrain Li Ziran.
• In the final exchange, the spatial mage retreats from Li Ziran’s hidden water technique, while the fire mage remains trapped and has his Elemental Gland devoured.

Chapter Summary: I Can’t Be a Goat

Key Plot Points and Events

• During the siege of the Devouring Serpent, the fire mage is suddenly swallowed and killed after entering Li Ziran’s mouth. Li discovers that the serpent’s mouth contains a strange freshwater poison that destroys elemental bodies.
• The space mage narrowly escapes the same fate by using the Annihilation Element Body, then attacks Li Ziran from above. However, Li’s tail and Devouring Curse devastate the battlefield, forcing the besieging mages to retreat.
• Li Ziran devours several Archmages, treating them as valuable elemental resources. His main targets are the fleeing space mage and the green-robed mage, whom he suspects of sabotaging his surgery.
• The space mage sacrifices his leg to escape Li’s bite, then flees. Before leaving, he inadvertently gives the green-robed mage time to escape.
• Li captures the green-robed mage with his tongue, but the mage releases a poison called the Corrosion Orb. It creates a poisonous green mist that causes blood to rot and disrupts Li’s body.
• Li survives the poison by using his Purification Heart, sealing his breathing, and rerouting his circulation. He realizes the Corrosion Orb is powerful but limited, functioning best as a surprise attack in a sealed environment.
• The exhausted green-robed mage assumes Feng will soon arrive to defeat Li. Instead, Li recovers and confronts him, intending to use magical interrogation and possession to uncover the sabotage.
• Before Li can question him, the space mage returns—now transformed into a one-legged white goat—with a powerful, radiant middle-aged man riding on his back.
• The golden-robed figure casts a Transformation Spell that turns Li into a goat. Li attempts to revert to his familiar frog form, but the figure’s follow-up spell seals him permanently in goat form.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran demonstrates the terrifying strength and versatility of his Devouring Serpent form. He is ruthless toward the attacking mages but remains analytical, studying their abilities and poisons rather than reacting blindly.
• His Purification Heart proves crucial, allowing him to survive the Corrosion Orb and revealing that his unusual body is resistant to attacks targeting ordinary blood circulation.
• Li becomes increasingly determined to identify and punish whoever sabotaged his surgery. His confidence and predatory control over the battlefield are abruptly undermined when he is transformed and restrained.
• The space mage shifts from an aggressor to a desperate survivor. He loses a leg, abandons the battle, and later returns as the mount or transformed companion of the golden-robed figure.
• The green-robed mage is revealed to rely on specialized poison techniques rather than physical or elemental strength. His confidence collapses once Li survives the Corrosion Orb.
• The golden-robed figure is introduced as an immensely powerful and mysterious enemy capable of overriding Li’s own transformation abilities.

Significant Themes

• Predator and prey: The siege reverses completely as Li devours the mages who intended to kill him, only to become helpless prey when the golden-robed figure arrives.
• Adaptation and bodily transformation: The chapter emphasizes Li’s unusual physiology, his ability to replace organs and alter forms, and the danger of magical transformations that can override personal control.
• Preparation versus surprise: The Corrosion Orb is effective because it is concealed and unexpected, while Li’s resistance shows that preparation can neutralize even deadly attacks.
• Power and vulnerability: Li appears nearly invincible against ordinary Archmages, but the final Transformation Spell reveals that overwhelming physical strength does not protect him from specialized magic.
• Identity and control: Li’s horrified reaction to becoming a goat reflects his fear of losing control over his body and being forced into a form he cannot accept.

Character Interactions

• Li and the space mage engage in a tense pursuit, with the space mage repeatedly using Spatial Flicker to avoid being eaten.
• The space mage’s escape indirectly allows Li to capture the green-robed mage, though he later returns in transformed form.
• Li hunts the green-robed mage to uncover the sabotage, while the latter relies on poison, deception, and the anticipated arrival of Feng for protection.
• Li attempts to intimidate the green-robed mage by looming over him and licking his face with his serpent tongue, but the moment is interrupted by his sudden transformation.
• The chapter ends with Li confronting the golden-robed figure indirectly: the figure’s transformation magic overwhelms him, leaving Li trapped as a goat and determined to resist the change.

Li Ziran was transformed into a goat by the Light Archmage and found that the spell was changing his body too thoroughly for him to escape through ordinary transformations. He used Tidal element and the Corrosion Orb to complete a Frog Transformation Array, leaving the Grasslands overwhelmed by frogs.

• The Light Archmage transformed Li Ziran into a goat, while the green-robed mage celebrated his capture.
• Li Ziran used Luo element and the Devouring Curse to weaken the spell, but discovered that his organs had become those of a goat.
• Mages and hunters from several races gathered as Li Ziran abandoned his escape attempt and began imprinting a Frog Transformation Array across the Wasteland.
• Li Ziran swallowed spatial crystals and Tidal element, growing so heavy that ropes and Earthstrider Dragons could not stop him.
• Li Ziran uncovered and swallowed the green-robed mage's Corrosion Orb, then a green fleck transformed the mage and frogs began multiplying across the Grasslands.

Li Ziran survived a wave of Forbidden Spells and a naturally formed annihilating spell while transformed into a goat, but the elemental chaos injured him and left him fleeing toward the rainforest. At the edge of the devastation, Feng and the transformed mage agreed to make Li Ziran a resource they would control or recruit.

• A green mist transformed the mages across the Grasslands into frogs, and the middle-aged mage tried to capture Li Ziran before becoming a toad himself.
• Frogs attacked Li Ziran, but their spells could not pierce him, and a mage unleashed Doomsday Calamity against him.
• After thirteen Forbidden Spells destabilized the elements and created a world-destroying spell, the chaotic tide began erasing the Grasslands and swept the frogs away.
• Li Ziran fled through the elemental storm, learning to bound on four legs as spatial blades wounded him and his instincts urged him toward food.
• At the edge of the annihilation, Feng questioned the frog about Li Ziran, and the frog agreed that they should control or recruit him.

Feng used Elemental Forecast to portray Li Ziran and his association as a threat, prompting a continent-wide purge while the Demons claimed Li Ziran had joined them. The chapter ended with Feng recruiting Rooney to intensify the campaign against the Corrupted Church.

• Elemental Forecast published lurid reports accusing Li Ziran of organ harvesting and branded his followers Corrupted Acolytes.
• The Triangle Council and Justice Alliance declared the Li Ziran Association a Corrupted Church, and the Dwarves began investigating and prosecuting its members.
• The Demons announced that Li Ziran had joined them, and a report claiming they had formed an organ-plundering legion fueled widespread panic and arrests.
• Feng asked about the Elves' response and ordered writers to publicize Anfuni's role in the Li Ziran Association.
• Feng summoned Rooney and urged him to put more effort into attacking the Corrupted Church.

Anfuni worried about Li Ziran’s disappearance as the continent branded him a criminal and mobilized against him. The Elves searched the rainforest for him while Queen Ke’er Bao considered how his technology could strengthen her rule, but Li Ziran remained hidden nearby in the form of a billy goat.

• Anfuni read a wanted notice accusing her of helping Li Ziran and worried that his silence was ruining his reputation and endangering them both.
• Anfuni visited Queen Ke’er Bao, who told her that humans, Dwarves, and gnomes were mobilizing forces around the rainforest.
• Ke’er Bao and Anfuni discussed protecting Li Ziran and the Elven elders’ efforts to find and control him.
• Anfuni said the Elves had sent searchers across the rainforest, including the White Tiger Priests.
• Li Ziran remained undiscovered on a nearby hill, disguised as a billy goat among seven nanny goats.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A billy goat leads seven ewes in a lush, defensible hill shelter containing a cave, underground river, and spring. He plans to take over a nearby goat tribe with more ewes and a valuable Flame Vein.
• The goat is troubled by the repeated command, “Resurrect the Great Dragon,” without understanding its meaning.
• A group of Earth Elves searching for the wanted Corrupted Witch Doctor, Li Ziran, discovers the goat herd. They try to persuade the billy goat to let them ride the ewes by offering Moonlight Water, Healing Potions, and other valuable items.
• The goat ignores everything until he notices an emerald-green Life Tree Leaf. He eats it, horrifying the elf who owned it, since it was his most valuable possession.
• The Life Tree Leaf restores a small portion of Li Ziran’s sanity. The goat is revealed to be Li Ziran, who has been transformed into an ordinary-looking goat.
• The ewes agree to carry the elves, while Li Ziran retreats into the cave. The elves remain uneasy about his unnatural, intelligent behavior.
• Once alone, Li Ziran uses Luo Element, aided by the Life Tree Leaf and a milky solution, to counteract the effects of the Tidal Element and recover his memories.
• He remembers his mission: resurrecting the Great Dragon. He retrieves a sealed container holding thirteen numbered rings containing organs from different parts of the Black Dragon.
• Li Ziran begins converting the cave into a crude laboratory, using Volcanic Potion to cleanse and prepare a flat stone workspace.
• As his memories return, he realizes the Sheep Transformation Spell has not merely altered his appearance. It has completely changed his body into that of another species, causing his organs and magical abilities to degenerate.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Initially appears to be a lazy, dominant billy goat, but his strange intelligence, disdain for ordinary offerings, and unsettling gaze hint at his true identity. After eating the Life Tree Leaf, he regains partial sanity and memories. He becomes focused, resourceful, and determined to resume the Great Dragon’s resurrection, despite being physically helpless in goat form.
• The Earth Elf group: They begin playfully and confidently, attempting to tame the goat with increasingly valuable gifts. Their amusement turns to embarrassment and unease after the goat consumes the Life Tree Leaf and displays disturbingly human-like behavior.
• The ewes: They follow the billy goat’s authority and wait for his approval before drinking or cooperating. After he permits them to interact with the elves, they carry the elves away.

Significant Themes

• Identity and transformation: Li Ziran’s situation raises questions about whether identity depends on memory, consciousness, or physical form. His body has become entirely goat-like, while his human mind slowly returns.
• Loss of power and vulnerability: Once a dangerous and important figure, Li Ziran is reduced to an animal unable to cast even basic magic. His mission must continue despite his physical limitations.
• Intelligence hidden beneath appearances: The elves mistake Li Ziran for an ordinary goat, while his behavior suggests a deeper consciousness. The chapter emphasizes how appearances can conceal danger or intelligence.
• Resourcefulness and adaptation: Li Ziran uses the cave, potions, his Spatial Ring, and improvised methods to rebuild a laboratory despite being unable to stand or use his former abilities.
• Comic absurdity amid danger: The elves’ attempts to impress one another by sacrificing valuable items create humor, while Li Ziran’s transformation and the Great Dragon’s resurrection provide a darker, more serious backdrop.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran dominates the seven ewes, who look to him for permission and protection.
• The Earth Elves tease one another while trying to win the goat’s cooperation, especially after their offerings fail.
• One elf sacrifices his entire inventory—and accidentally loses a priceless Life Tree Leaf—to impress the female elves.
• The elves become frightened when Li Ziran exhibits an unnatural, thoughtful expression and behaves unlike a normal goat.
• Li Ziran permits the ewes to assist the elves but kicks them away when they attempt to enter his cave, demonstrating both control and a desire for solitude.

Chapter Summary: Resurrection of the Black Dragon

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran continues suffering under the Sheep Transformation Spell. Although the Luo Element is weakening the spell’s effects and loosening his body’s elemental restrictions, he remains trapped in an unpleasant goat form.
• His attempts to reverse the transformation fail. Frog Transformation and elemental countermeasures are ineffective, leading him to conclude that he needs the blood of the middle-aged mage who cast the spell.
• Li Ziran suspects the green-robed mage and plans to travel to Human territory, capture him, and extract his memories. He also hopes to locate the middle-aged mage, believing they may be able to cooperate because each possesses information the other needs.
• Recognizing that he needs assistance, Li Ziran summons two Corpse Witches from his Spirit World. They help purify and modify the cave, creating an underground laboratory and operating area.
• Li Ziran begins reconstructing the Black Dragon using its preserved organs. The Corpse Witches reassemble the heart, internal organs, skeleton, blood vessels, nerves, and brain.
• Despite his goat body making surgery extremely difficult, Li Ziran personally removes the toxins from the Black Dragon’s brain using a scalpel held in his teeth.
• Once the body is rebuilt, Li Ziran uses the Dragon Pearl and the Black Dragon’s soul-containing membranes to restore its life.
• The resurrection succeeds. The Black Dragon awakens, releases Dragon Flame, destroys much of the makeshift operating room, and initially mistakes Li Ziran for food.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Becomes increasingly frustrated and restless over his helpless goat form, particularly because it prevents him from performing surgery normally. Nevertheless, his medical knowledge, strategic thinking, and determination remain intact. He adapts creatively by relying on the Corpse Witches and using his mouth to perform delicate procedures.
• The Black Dragon: Is restored from the brink of death. Though significantly weaker than before and initially confused, its familiar presence and power return, suggesting that its consciousness and identity have survived.
• The Corpse Witches: Demonstrate their usefulness as assistants, precisely reconstructing organs, bones, blood vessels, and nerves under Li Ziran’s direction. Their capabilities show signs of advanced development beyond ordinary corpse manipulation.
• The hostile mages: Though absent from the chapter, the green-robed mage and the Sheep Transformation caster become central to Li Ziran’s future plans as targets, sources of information, and possible bargaining partners.

Significant Themes

• Adaptation under helplessness: Li Ziran must overcome the severe limitations of his transformed body by changing his methods rather than abandoning his goals.
• Life, death, and resurrection: The chapter explores the boundary between medicine, magic, and necromancy as Li Ziran reconstructs a living dragon from organs, bones, and a preserved soul.
• Knowledge and control: Li Ziran’s confidence comes from understanding anatomy and magic, but the transformation exposes the limits of his control and forces him into unfamiliar territory.
• Identity beneath physical form: Despite the goat body and the Black Dragon’s skeletal reconstruction, both characters retain their essential identities, suggesting that consciousness and spirit are more important than outward appearance.
• Cooperation and mutual dependence: Li Ziran realizes he cannot solve his transformation alone and begins assembling allies and bargaining leverage.

Character Interactions

• Li Ziran directs the two Corpse Witches throughout the preparation of the laboratory and the Black Dragon’s reconstruction, relying on their physical abilities while supervising every critical step.
• His relationship with the Corpse Witches is practical and command-based, but he also trusts their precision with complex procedures.
• After reviving, the Black Dragon immediately notices Li Ziran and lashes its tongue toward him, treating him as potential food. Li Ziran narrowly escapes and angrily identifies himself, creating a brief comic but dangerous reunion.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Ziran awakens the newly reconstructed Black Dragon, but the dragon’s body is severely incomplete. He has only fragments of his bones and organs, with no wings, tail, or complete limbs.
• The Black Dragon is initially horrified by his condition, especially the loss of his wings, but gradually accepts that survival is more important. Li Ziran promises to eventually create replacement organs and even stronger wings adapted to the Elemental Tide.
• Li Ziran proposes a partnership: the Black Dragon will help him capture the green-robed mage responsible for—or connected to—the Sheep Transformation Spell, while Li Ziran will restore and enhance the dragon’s body.
• The Black Dragon warns that directly attacking the Human Race would be suicidal. He advises gathering intelligence first, determining the mage’s identity, and learning what the humans want from Li Ziran.
• Li Ziran realizes that his urgency has caused him to overlook the need for investigation. He attempts to contact the Li Ziran Association through the Void Spirit World.
• Instead of the Association’s usual activity, he finds it nearly deserted and filled with emergency notices: members have betrayed one another, been arrested, gone into hiding, or possibly been killed. Membership has fallen from 121 to 63 and continues shrinking.
• Li Ziran contacts Anfuni for information and arranges to meet her in person.
• Anfuni tells Queen Ke’er Bao that Li Ziran is alive and wants to meet. Despite the danger and surveillance surrounding them, she asks the queen to help create an opportunity.
• Ke’er agrees to move up an annual inspection of the Divine Flame so that Anfuni can secretly meet Li Ziran at a cave near the Earth Elves.

Character Developments

• Li Ziran: Remains resourceful and pragmatic, but his desperation initially clouds his judgment. He recognizes the value of the Black Dragon as an ally and begins shifting from reckless pursuit to strategic intelligence gathering. His confidence in his ability to reconstruct and enhance the dragon also shows his growing ambition.
• The Black Dragon: Awakens vulnerable and physically mutilated, yet retains his pride, intelligence, and cautious nature. He becomes more realistic about the dangers of the Human Race and proves capable of analyzing situations rationally rather than relying solely on strength.
• Anfuni: Shows loyalty and concern for Li Ziran, prioritizing his safety and reputation among the Association’s surviving members. She is willing to risk herself and manipulate official Elven activities to arrange a meeting.
• Queen Ke’er Bao: Demonstrates genuine affection for Li Ziran, calling him her “first prince” and offering the Elf Rainforest as a refuge. Though she recognizes the political risks, she ultimately chooses to support Anfuni and Li Ziran.
• The Association members: Their collapse reveals that Li Ziran’s disappearance has triggered severe political repression, betrayal, and persecution.

Significant Themes

• Mutual dependence and cooperation: Both Li Ziran and the Black Dragon are weakened and isolated, forcing them to cooperate despite differing priorities.
• Survival versus pride: The Black Dragon’s obsession with restoring his wings contrasts with Li Ziran’s belief that survival and strategic goals must come first.
• The limits of brute force: The Black Dragon emphasizes that even great power cannot overcome the Human Race’s deep resources and hidden forces. Intelligence and preparation are essential.
• Political instability and persecution: The Association’s near-destruction illustrates the wider consequences of Li Ziran’s conflict with powerful factions.
• Loyalty and refuge: Anfuni and Ke’er’s willingness to help Li Ziran highlights the importance of personal bonds amid political danger.
• Transformation and adaptation: Li Ziran’s Sheep Transformation and the Black Dragon’s incomplete resurrection both emphasize bodily change, the loss of former identities, and the possibility of becoming something new.

Important Character Interactions

• Li Ziran and the Black Dragon: They argue over the dragon’s missing wings, negotiate a partnership, and begin treating each other as mutually necessary allies.
• The Black Dragon and Li Ziran’s plan: The dragon challenges Li Ziran’s impulsive approach and persuades him to investigate before attempting to seize the green-robed mage.
• Anfuni and Queen Ke’er Bao: Anfuni asks the queen to help arrange a secret meeting. Ke’er teases her about wanting to see her “prince” but ultimately agrees to assist.
• Li Ziran and the Association: His attempt to reconnect reveals the Association’s catastrophic decline and raises questions about who betrayed, arrested, or killed its members.

The Elf Queen began an inspection tour while the elders secretly tightened security and monitored her, suspecting she might be helping Li Ziran. At the Human Elemental Tower, Feng prepared to use a photograph of elves worshipping an apparent organologist as a newspaper headline, escalating the pressure on the rainforest.

• The Elf Queen rejected the elders’ demand to search for Li Ziran and insisted on following her usual inspection route with Anfuni.
• The elders agreed to impose martial law, watch Anfuni and the queen, and prevent Li Ziran from leaving the rainforest.
• The Elf Queen’s heavily guarded entourage set out, while hidden observers relayed images of Anfuni to Feng.
• Rooney urged Feng to claim Li Ziran had been hit by the Sheep Transformation Spell, but Feng refused and showed him a photograph of elves worshipping around a creature with its belly slit open.
• Feng said Justice would publish the photograph as its headline the next day.

Human soldiers planted Magic Stones in the rainforest, triggering a purple fire that devastated the Elves and fueled a continent-wide campaign against them. As Feng and Rooney prepared to seize the burned land while searching for Li Ziran, Feng met with the frog, who wanted Li Ziran brought to him for his experiments.

• A Human squad planted a Magic Stone beneath the rainforest, and the resulting purple flames spread despite the Elves' attempts to extinguish them.
• The fire killed countless Elves and animals, while the publication "Justice" depicted Elves paying homage to the corrupted and turned public opinion against them.
• Rooney celebrated the Elves' losses, and Feng ordered him to prepare to claim the burned rainforest as a common zone and search for Li Ziran.
• Feng met with the frog, who said organ transplantation could help him achieve immortality and asked Feng to send him members of the Li Ziran Association.
• Feng agreed that his forces were searching for Li Ziran, while the frog insisted that he wanted to meet him and examine his original work.