From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

In the dark and quiet swamp, a dense, faintly visible yellow venomous barrier drifted by like the wind from afar, startling a large group of toads that were gathered together.

Within the thick poisonous barrier, a faint whistling wind could be heard. Inside, half of Li Yi's body was submerged in the mud, his gaze piercing through the poisonous barrier and landing on the distorted shadows of trees ahead.

The banyan tree, which had been fused with the ancient strange insect, had grown much taller without anyone noticing. Its canopy had expanded and become dense, but it looked noticeably droopy, as if something was hanging down inside it.

Li Yi naturally knew what was inside.

Having returned to this land, Li Yi, now at the ninth level of Qi Refining, was prepared. In the time to come, he would continuously weaken the densely packed tree servants here.

Whatever changes this ancient, strange insect is undergoing, it must stop it.

A thick fog gathered from all directions, carrying a deep, dark yellow hue, and quickly enveloped the tree.

But this time, a new change has occurred.

The poisonous barrier could no longer spread beyond a certain point and was pushed back outside the tree. In Li Yi's perception, there seemed to be an invisible spherical shield around the strange tree, isolating everything.

The strange tree stood quietly there, without making a sound.

Unconvinced, Li Yi manipulated the swirling poisonous barrier, attempting to erode this invisible boundary, but he could not succeed no matter what he did.

After giving the strange tree a cold glance, Li Yi slowly approached within ten feet. His huge body, covered in black scales, emerged from the mud and opened its mouth wide.

A series of pitch-black poison bullets pierced through the dense poison barrier, silencing all sound. With the assistance of the green wind, their speed increased by eight times, and they exploded on that invisible barrier.

Bang bang bang!

Large amounts of black venom splattered on the barrier, but caused no damage. Instead, it flowed down the spherical barrier to the ground, revealing the barrier's outline.

After a moment of silence, Li Yi had a thought, and the thick poisonous barrier around him dissipated, accompanied by the howling of the wind.

A lush green whirlwind pierced through the mist, gathering together and wreaking havoc on the edge of the protective shield with a putrid vitality.

But soon after, Li Yi suddenly felt a large portion of his magical power rapidly drain away, and the protective shield suddenly revealed its color.

It was a filthy green, yet not mixed; on the contrary, it was exceptionally pure.

The moment it appeared, the surrounding lush green whirlwind, the power of the swamp wood phase, was instantly swallowed up, leaving nothing behind.

Feeling his magic power slipping away, Li Yi looked at the strange tree's dense canopy in surprise, his heart growing heavier.

This change gave it a very unsettling feeling; the ancient worm seemed to be transforming into a completely new form.

Those hideous tree servants have all vanished; no one knows where they went.

Perhaps... it was swallowed up by the strange tree itself.

Li Yi had clearly witnessed the strange tree split open with a huge crack, revealing two rows of white teeth, and swallowed a blue-eyed golden toad whole.

That scene is hard to forget.

After another period of silence, Li Yi slowly swam towards the protective barrier, where the surrounding poisonous barrier was extremely dense.

A huge, indistinct black shadow gradually came into view.

Soon, a pair of brownish-yellow eyes lit up in the yellow mist, staring intently at the canopy of the strange tree, exuding a sense of oppression.

Li Yi continued forward, gradually touching the filthy green shield. Its color had faded considerably, but it was still faintly visible.

With a ripple, Li Yi's nose pierced through the protective shield and went deep inside.

Li Yi clearly sensed a very strange power that formed the protective shield itself; it resembled magic power yet was not quite magic power.

Inside, a foul and strange smell wafted over, causing Li Yi to freeze in place.

Almost instantly, a feeling of dizziness and lightheadedness appeared, and Li Yi, who was not afraid of even the most potent poison, was immediately affected.

Something has invaded my body.

The area inside the protective shield was filled with an invisible and colorless substance, like a transparent smoke, which Li Yi inhaled.

A slight ripple spread across the protective barrier, and after a breath, the canopy of the strange tree rustled, and some yellowish-green leaves fluttered down.

Li Yi sensed danger, and the strange tree suddenly became active, so it immediately withdrew from the protective shield and disappeared into the poisonous barrier.

A yellowish-green leaf fell to the ground, and the strange tree fell silent once more.

Feeling dizzy and lightheaded, Li Yi quickly left the spot and closed his eyes somewhere nearby, sensing the abnormality within his body.

Some tiny spores invaded his body, flowing in his blood with a highly corrosive force, trying to change him.

That strange, twisted feeling made Li Yi feel extremely uncomfortable.

The poisonous barrier around them began to swirl and then quickly dissipated.

Li Yi sank into the mud, calmly examining itself. After a while, it finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The spores inside the body were destroyed. After the initial invasion, the body quickly discovered and eliminated it.

The dizziness gradually disappeared, and the damp, cold feeling of the swampy mud around him transmitted through his black scales, making Li Yi completely awake.

Emerging silently from the mud, Li Yi looked in the direction of the strange tree, his heart sinking completely.

This trouble seems to be about to erupt rapidly; it dares not imagine what the consequences would be if the contents inside the shield were released.

Perhaps all the living things and plants in this vast area will be distorted and transformed.

Unfortunately, I was powerless to do anything about it.

The protective barrier doesn't exclude living beings from entering, which is perhaps what the strange tree wants. It has only inhaled some spores; if it stayed inside indefinitely...

For the next three months, Li Yi patrolled the surrounding area almost every day, constantly checking the situation and searching for any possible natural treasures rich in life.

The mother crocodile was still in the process of building her foundation, and her condition was very unstable. It seemed that she might die at any moment, which made Li Yi, who was originally planning to leave, stay in this area.

It won't leave easily unless absolutely necessary.

I will stay here and keep a close watch on the strange tree's movements. If anything inside it is about to erupt, I will leave immediately.

However, three months have passed and the strange tree has not changed at all.

However, the protective shield around it became increasingly thick, and the spores inside were no longer invisible and colorless; a faint black mist flowed within them.

This problem hasn't even surfaced yet.

As dusk fell and night approached, Li Yi returned to the large willow tree with a heavy heart. The white python approached and, through mental communication, expressed its desire to give it a try.