From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

The night is deep, and a sliver of moonlight faintly appears; tonight will be a beautiful night to breathe in the moonlight.

Li Yi stared thoughtfully at the white python's red and blue pupils.

This might indeed be a good idea.

The white python has mastered the solar flames, a pure and powerful flame. With its recent comprehension, it has been able to slightly break through the bloodline limitations of the Flame Breath Fox Clan and control the purple fragments.

The purple flames contained within those purple fragments are currently even more powerful.

Moreover, all tree-like creatures fear fire; it's an instinct. Even the Demon Tree died from the flames of the red-haired foxes.

It's nighttime now, why not... give it a try?

The idea popped into Li Yi's mind. After some thought, Li Yi made a decision to let the white python go with him to give it a try.

Under the cover of night, the white python, led by Li Yi, unusually left the area around the big willow tree.

The bright moonlight shone down from the sky, but it couldn't illuminate the rapidly moving yellow mist. Inside, everything was hazy and unclear.

After a while, the yellow mist lingered outside the strange tree, surrounding it.

Under the moonlight, the faint black mist inside the protective shield was very noticeable, drifting around the strange tree and making the place look incredibly terrifying.

Suddenly, a large hole appeared in the thick poison barrier, revealing a white python that spewed blazing solar flames and hurtled towards the protective shield with a whoosh.

For a moment, the surroundings were illuminated by light almost like the sun, but were blocked by layers of dense poisonous barriers.

A few breaths later, the sun's flames dissipated, and Li Yi stared at the invisible protective shield, his heart sinking.

The protective shield has been weakened, that's a fact, but it's still constantly recovering, drawing spiritual energy from the world.

Given the speed at which the white python destroys things, it would probably take a long and continuous effort to defeat it.

It seems that the white python is not strong enough to break through the shield. It would be too risky to let it enter the shield's range. We can't do that.

If it were three months ago… Li Yi thought about it and dismissed the idea.

Since things have come to this point, we can only continue to try other methods.

After exchanging a glance, the white python spat out a small, gleaming sword from its mouth. The sword was white with a hint of orange-yellow and was surrounded by the halo of a great sun.

It shot through the air with a whoosh, its blade ignited with solar flames, and pierced the invisible shield.

After a few breaths of stalemate, the small sword finally pierced through the protective shield and darted inside, transforming into a dazzling sword light that roamed within.

Li Yi's eyes widened. Could it be... that they're about to succeed?

The sun flames on the blade of the small sword swept straight through the black mist, but had no effect whatsoever.

They simply dispersed in another direction, and less than a tenth of them were burned.

Looking at the small sword that was gradually hovering in mid-air, Li Yi felt a little disappointed.

The white python was simply not strong enough.

If the white python had already established its foundation, the outcome would likely be completely different; it might actually be able to set the strange tree ablaze or even destroy it.

Immediately afterwards, the white python, unwilling to give up, gathered its divine sense and tried its best to control the purple fragment, heading towards the protective barrier with a hiss.

A fine layer of purple flames ignited on the surface of the purple fragment, leaving a scorching trail before it entered the protective shield.

The next moment, the trunk of the strange tree, which had been motionless, suddenly cracked open, and a beam of black light shot out from the dark fissure.

The black light struck the purple fragment, sending it flying, and all the purple flames were extinguished.

The surrounding swamp trembled faintly, and the mud beneath the strange tree churned, as if some snake-like creature was writhing and struggling beneath it.

Those were its roots, and it seemed this action had angered it.

The dark crack rotated slightly, pointing directly at Li Yi, sending a chill down Li Yi's spine.

An extreme chill descended upon it.

You absolutely cannot get hit! Otherwise, you'll surely die!

With lightning-fast reflexes, Li Yi, along with the white python, instantly submerged into the mud, disappearing with the purple fragments in tow.

The strange tree twisted a few times, its dense canopy swaying, casting a bizarre and enormous shadow on the ground.

After a while, it quieted down again and stood still. The deep cracks in the trunk slowly healed, and something seemed to be writhing inside, but it was not clear.

Li Yi gazed at the small shadow of the strange tree under the moonlight and sighed.

The operation was a complete failure. Neither it nor the white python could deal with the strange tree. The solar flames were not powerful enough, and the purple fragments directly triggered its berserk state, resulting in severe damage.

The white python cautiously examined the purple fragment floating in front of it. The golden patterns inside it were broken and became messy, and several black cracks appeared on the original purple crystal body, greatly diminishing its power.

This was the first time Li Yi had ever seen a method that could severely damage the purple fragment.

It was treasured by the red-haired fox and was one of its most powerful magical artifacts, yet it was destroyed just like that.

Now, its power is probably not even comparable to the yellow crystal sword that the white python reforged.

However, there is still one inside him.

Li Yi thought to himself.

But it can't be brought out yet. If it were forcibly brought out, I would probably be severely injured. I can only wait until I can think of a safe way.

Or wait until you've established your foundation, and everything will resolve itself naturally.

……

In the blink of an eye, another month has passed.

Li Yi spent each day in fear and trepidation, gazing from afar at the strange tree, watching the black mist around it grow thicker and thicker, but there was nothing he could do.

On this day, Li Yi quietly sat under the big willow tree, sensing the pure and impure energy within his body.

Yuehua has grown significantly in these four months, but she still cannot balance the swamp energy within her body and is still far from being able to do so.

Separating the three phases of the swamp for study and cultivation would be extremely beneficial to Li Yi, but it would also be incredibly powerful.

Sunlight streamed down from the sky. Li Yi closed his eyes and basked in the sun, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility, when suddenly he sensed something.

It opened its eyes, and a thick, poisonous aura gathered around it, forming thick, faint veins that extended in all directions.

A faint trace of spiritual vitality emanated from the poisonous barrier in a certain direction. Although it was only a tiny trace, it still caught Li Yi's attention.

Li Yi carefully savored the aura and finally determined that it was most likely a rare and precious treasure nurtured somewhere in the swamp, exactly what he wanted.

Supporting his massive body, Li Yi gazed in that direction and prepared to head there.

The appearance of rare and precious materials is usually extremely brief, attracting the surrounding swamp creatures to devour them.

Judging from the information within the poisonous barrier, it likely originated in a very distant place.

Just then, the white python emerged from the hole in the big willow tree, expressing its desire to try again.

Li Yi nodded, parted ways with it, and each went in a different direction.