From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

On this day, the swamp remained unchanged for millennia, a dark yellow expanse everywhere, with bubbles occasionally bursting from the silt.

Before a patch of brightly colored flowers and plants, a pair of brownish-yellow eyes opened, emerged from the mud, and gazed ahead.

Six months later, Li Yi returned to this place.

Ever since he tried this highly poisonous flower and herb, which was both extremely toxic and potent, Li Yi had kept it in mind.

Now, taking advantage of a hunting trip, it has slipped away here again.

Staring at the cluster of exotic flowers and plants, Li Yi finally carefully bit off a small, blood-red flower.

This flower exudes a sweet, fruity fragrance that is extremely attractive. Its petals are made of silky strands and are brightly colored.

Li Yi had already tasted the benefits. Ever since it swallowed that poisonous herb last time, it felt the turbid energy in its body rapidly expanding.

The energy of the swamp can be strengthened by toxins; as long as one is not poisoned to death, it can grow rapidly.

Li Yi's peculiar animalistic senses told it that the flowers and plants in front of it were dangerous, but not fatal.

Ever since he witnessed the dragon's tribulation on that unforgettable stormy night, Li Yi has unconsciously developed a stronger desire to improve his strength.

It caught a glimpse of the immense power lurking within the swamp, and even that glimpse was terrifying enough.

Not to mention the dragon shadow who failed his tribulation, the other powerful figures entrenched in the swamp were enough to put pressure on Li Yi.

Li Yi recalled that scene on many nights.

Was I truly not discovered?

Or perhaps... these immense auras vying for the fragments simply don't care about me at all.

Obviously the latter.

Putting myself in their shoes, if I were one of those beings who could soar through the clouds and hide high in the sky, looking down upon the creatures of the swamp, I probably wouldn't care about a black-scaled crocodile in the Qi Refining stage.

To them, they might really just be a swamp dog.

While stealthily moving forward, Li Yi carefully wrapped the flower in a clump of mud, held it in his mouth, and headed towards his nest.

This time, it wasn't going to try it in the wild, but instead chose a safer location.

Inside the lair, the white python stared at Li Yi's open mouth, then at the delicate flower emerging from the mud, and subconsciously took a step back.

Li Yi slowly returned to his yellow wax stone, comfortably lay down there, and swallowed the flower in one gulp.

This time, no illusions appeared.

Li Yi felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and immediately knew nothing more.

In its final moments before losing consciousness, it instinctively rolled over, sensing the threat of chaos, and remained motionless with its belly up.

The white python's vertical pupils revealed a human-like helplessness as it stretched out its long tail and poked Li Yi's belly.

The nest fell completely silent.

Li Yi felt like he was having an extremely absurd dream.

He returned to the world he had been in before, a jungle of steel and concrete, in his own home, with traffic flowing outside his window.

A completely different kind of smoky atmosphere, mixed with faint human voices, rushed towards us.

The difference is that Li Yi clearly knows he is dreaming.

Getting out of bed, Li Yi subconsciously repeated his life from his previous life, preparing to wash up and go to work. He walked to the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and froze on the spot.

In the mirror, a figure with a human body and a crocodile head was staring at him with brownish-yellow eyes.

Li Yi was startled by the scene before him. Wearing only a shirt and trousers, he ran towards the door in a panic.

Click.

Upon opening the security door, a figure appeared and, seeing Li Yi, said in surprise:

"What's wrong? Is there an emergency at the company?"

Li Yi was startled as he looked at the woman in front of him, who was dressed in a white dress and had a noble air about her.

She had the head of a white python, and a pair of beautiful heterochromatic eyes were staring at Li Yi suspiciously.

"No...it's nothing, I'm just going downstairs for a walk, a walk."

Li Yi passed her by, took the elevator, and went downstairs with a restless mind. With a ding, the elevator started moving, and Li Yi's pupils suddenly trembled. He seemed to forget for a moment that this was a dream, and his expression became peaceful.

Downstairs, at a crossroads, Li Yi looked at the figures with human bodies and animal heads, some looking busy going to work, others looking extremely leisurely.

This absurd world was presented to Li Yi, but Li Yi took it for granted and gradually became immersed in the dream, standing at the intersection waiting for the green light.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing screech of brakes came from the right, shattering the peaceful tranquility.

Li Yi suddenly turned his head and saw an out-of-control car flying diagonally from the side of the road and crashing into him.

Li Yi's eyes widened suddenly as he saw a person in the driver's seat.

The head of the person in the driver's seat was a bright red flower. He was driving a bright red car, and his face showed no emotion. He was just gripping the steering wheel tightly.

At that moment, instinctive horror caused Li Yi to suddenly feel a sharp pain in the back of his head, and all his memories returned.

"I'm dreaming, in this bizarre world..."

His mind raced, but Li Yi's body couldn't react in time and he was sent flying.

After a dizzying spin, darkness descended.

When Li Yi opened his eyes again, the scenery around him was completely different.

In the dimly lit nest, neatly arranged stones were embedded in the cave walls, and a white python was looking at itself with concern.

It's back.

Li Yi felt a jolt, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, and a slight dizziness appeared.

The white python raised its slender tail again and poked Li Yi's head.

A clear stream of water meandered across the black scales, bringing a refreshing coolness that invigorated Li Yi and made his heart skip a beat.

It was noon.

The scorching sunlight pierced through the yellow, poisonous barrier, creating an orange glow that shone into a patch of deep black silt.

A black-scaled crocodile crawled out of its den, lazily emerging from the mud, and leisurely basking in the sun.

Li Yi squinted, feeling much better.

This time, it seemed to have ingested a terrible poisonous flower. Now that it had awakened, it recalled that it had been unconscious for at least seven days.

That bizarre yet peaceful dream appeared before my eyes in an unusually clear way.

That's really strange.

Li Yi sighed inwardly, while also looking inward at himself.

That tiny flower brought her a tremendous surge of heat that lingered within her, increasing the aura of the swamp.

After basking in the sun for a long time, Li Yi felt hungry.

His body, covered in black scales, slowly sank into the swampy mud, and Li Yi disappeared without a trace.

It's time for a hunt.