From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

Li Yi's body moved stealthily through the mud, the black scales fitting tightly against him feeling the familiar softness of the swamp mud, making him feel as if he were in his own water.

After leaving the nest, Li Yi immediately went out hunting to fill his stomach.

During its year-long slumber, it constantly absorbed and exhaled the energy of the swamp. This energy, as one of the spiritual essences of heaven and earth, though extremely turbid, is the broadest path for cultivation in this region.

Beasts like the white python, with extraordinary bloodlines and the ability to inhale moonlight, water, and fire, are ultimately rare exceptions.

Most of the swamp beasts grow stronger through battles, instinctively inhaling and exhaling the swamp's turbid air, stepping into the perilous and unknown path ahead.

Suddenly, a swift figure flashed out from the mud. Its body was covered in brown fur, and it covered more than ten feet in a few leaps. Its speed was extremely fast.

In mid-air, it left only a series of rapidly disappearing afterimages, with no trace of its true form.

Just as it was passing through a seemingly ordinary area of ​​black silt, a bowl-shaped depression suddenly appeared below it, and a heavy force descended from its head onto its entire body.

In an instant, its speed suddenly decreased, its figure froze, and it revealed its true form.

This is a large brown fox, blind in one eye with a claw mark, its other eye fiercely scanning its surroundings, naturally exuding a menacing aura, instinctively threatening any unknown adversary.

However, nothing will change in the very next moment when it seizes the opportunity to escape.

boom!

A large mound quickly rose from the swamp, and then a black figure moved with lightning speed, spraying mud and water everywhere, moving even faster and more fiercely.

The large brown fox only had time to open its mouth before the purple foxfire in its throat swelled slightly and fell into a gaping maw.

Click.

Li Yi closed his massive jaws, and the immense force of his bite instantly crushed the fox's body. But the large fox actually spoke in human language, urgently saying:

"Wait, I am..."

Gaba.

It fell silent, transforming into a mass of flesh and blood at the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage, brimming with nutrition, which Li Yi swallowed whole.

The swamp fell silent, and Li Yi quietly left, wandering around and pondering.

Although the fox was indeed shaken when it spoke human language, its hunting instincts still outpaced its thinking, and it immediately bit and swallowed the fox whole.

It wasn't until afterwards that Li Yi belatedly began to reflect on the matter.

This big fox is quite powerful and can speak human language, so it probably has some background.

However, foxes are the most cunning creatures, especially those that hold grudges. If Li Yi lets it go today, he may not have peace in the future and will surely suffer retaliation.

Its cultivation level is not weak, and it's unknown what kind of background it has.

Oh well, I've already eaten it.

This is an endless swamp, a jungle teeming with wild beasts. What human relationships could there be here? Let's eat first.

After considering the matter from both animal and human perspectives, Li Yi nodded, feeling that he had done the right thing. Previously, there had never been the scent of a fox in his territory, so it was clearly an intruder.

It wagged its tail and left.

After patrolling his territory with practiced ease, Li Yi carefully sensed the subtle scents around him every so often.

Several hours later, Li Yi still had no trace or scent of his mortal enemy, the Green Crocodile.

It seems it hasn't come back here since the battle a year ago, and the white python hasn't encountered it either.

After killing a few more prey, Li Yi basked in the sun for a while, smacked his lips, and felt his body temperature rise, which gave him an even greater desire to move around.

Soon, it came to a seemingly ordinary low slope, where silt was flowing and bubbling.

From a certain spot at the base of the slope, Li Yi burrowed into the mud and skillfully found the hidden cave. Now that it had shrunk again, it entered the cave more easily.

Before even seeing the spiritual water, Li Yi felt that the air here was incredibly fresh, completely free of the poisonous aura of the swamp, and full of vitality.

That decision back then was definitely the right one.

Thinking to himself, Li Yi entered a hollow cavity. The cavity had been reinforced several times, and the inner walls were made of stones and dried silt. The moisture had been expelled, which was obviously the work of the white python.

In the center of the cavity, the spiritual spring that was once only the size of a fist can now completely accommodate the large fox that Li Yi just swallowed.

This creature is indeed growing very well.

Lowering his head, Li Yi took a small sip of the azure spiritual water, feeling his turbid and pure energies being nourished and strengthened simultaneously.

After a while, Li Yi opened his eyes and thought to himself: If this precious spiritual creature were encountered by ordinary beasts, it would probably have been almost completely ruined long ago, or at the very least, it would have suffered the fate of being drained of its resources.

But when it came to himself and the white python, they truly became a force to be reckoned with.

How about... we move our nest here?

Tilting his head, Li Yi thought for a moment, then suppressed the thought and continued doing his own thing.

This awakening requires resolving many issues.

After another patrol, Li Yi found no trace of the green crocodile in his territory.

Animals like green crocodiles, which lack complete intelligence, rely solely on instinct and will not eliminate the traces of their presence, thus inevitably being detected by themselves.

If it really isn't here, then it means it hasn't come back.

After eliminating any potential threats lurking within his territory, Li Yi turned and headed in a certain direction.

After advancing for about 35 minutes, Li Yi saw the scene ahead. He paused, revealing only his two brownish-yellow pupils as he scanned the area.

The dark green, low-lying grove of trees had visibly grown, and even from this distance, Li Yi could see large, round fruits with a hint of bluish-red.

It did not continue its reckless advance, but waited in place.

As dusk approached and the sun gradually sank in the west, the orange light slowly crept over the black mud, and finally a figure appeared heading towards them.

Without Li Yi's hunting, the red-faced monkey troop seemed to have grown considerably in size after a year.

In that direction, eight strong monkeys stood in a row, each carrying a woven vine on their backs.

Li Yi didn't understand what it was and couldn't tell, but he focused his attention on the first and last monkeys.

These two red-faced monkeys were not only strong, with smooth and shiny fur, but each also held a short spear made of wood, and they had the aura of the second or third level of Qi Refining.

Good heavens, after a year, some of these monkeys, besides the monkey king, have embarked on the path of cultivation.

Just look at the light shining in the eyes of these two monkeys; they are extraordinary and full of intelligence.

It must be said that monkeys, as wild animals that resemble humans in form, do indeed develop their intelligence very quickly. Once they have the opportunity to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, they become unstoppable.