From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

The dark yellow poisonous barrier swayed gently like a hazy veil. There were few strong winds in this swamp; only the occasional gust of wind was dispersed and dissipated by the heavy poisonous barrier.

As the sun rises in the east, the first rays of dawn illuminate the earth, tearing through the yellow curtain and quickly shining on the somber willow tree.

A black-scaled crocodile and a white python whose scales radiated iridescent light at the edge of the morning sun appeared under the big willow tree, each raising its head to greet the morning glow.

Li Yi opened his eyes, his brownish-yellow pupils staring intently at the ray of sunlight that pierced his eyes, gradually sensing a vibrant and energetic spirit.

Within his body, streams of life force flowed through his blood, strengthening his muscles and nourishing his bones, causing Li Yi's body to visibly improve.

This is just the effect of a single drop of willow sap.

After careful study, Bai Mang and Li Yi concluded that although the sap of the willow tree possesses strong vitality and can nourish the body, it should not be consumed in large quantities at once.

Otherwise, there will be a very bad outcome; their bodies may be burst open by the excessive vitality.

Besides, the sap of the great willow tree has another function: it can absorb spiritual energy in conjunction with the morning glow, thus embarking on the path of cultivation.

With these two effects combined, the sap of the great willow tree can be considered the most spiritually potent spiritual substance that Li Yi has discovered so far, and its value is even much higher than that of the blue spiritual water.

However, not long after, as the vibrant rays of dawn seeped into Li Yi's flesh and blood, that familiar pain returned.

Li Yi's pupils twitched, and he withdrew from the state of absorbing spiritual energy. Helplessly, he shook his tail and swept away a large patch of mud.

As expected, the gentler dawn light, which is softer than the sunset glow, also disrupts the balance within the body.

Now, the sap of the big willow tree only has half the effect on him: strengthening his body.

However... the green crocodiles that previously occupied this place probably never breathed in or out the morning light; they grew by absorbing the murky swamp air.

It's estimated that it didn't occupy the big willow tree for very long, and it didn't discover any other uses for the willow tree sap.

Feeling his body gradually becoming stronger and more nourished, Li Yi turned to look at the white python.

The white python was now deeply immersed in that vibrant spiritual energy, its entire body radiating a soft white light under the morning sun, with rainbow-like filaments along its edges—it was incredibly beautiful.

Dawn, dusk, moonlight.

All three types of pure energy were absorbed by the white python, and from morning till night, the white python no longer needed to hunt.

For animals, the stronger their bloodline, the less they need to consume blood.

Deep in the mountains and marshes, countless demons have lingered for thousands of years. In their half-asleep state, they can absorb the power of heaven and earth. With each blink of their eyes, decades or even centuries can pass.

Clearly, the white python is also developing in this direction.

Li Yi didn't leave; instead, he sank into the mud and stood nearby, keeping his eyes fixed on his surroundings.

The demon tree has now become an uncertain threat; who knows if it has really left, or if it is still somewhere in this area.

After all, it is a tree that has become a spirit, and if it wants to stay in one place, it probably won't need to leave for decades.

We must always be on guard.

The dawn's glow was pure white, tinged with a hint of purple, and within the white python's body, it intertwined with two other pure energies, the twilight glow, and the moonlight, gradually forming a kind of cycle...

The white python took a long time to wake up. Its large eyes blinked repeatedly, its vertical pupils becoming round, and then suddenly shrinking into thin lines.

It seemed to realize that it might still be in danger.

The demonic tree may still be lurking nearby!

But the next moment, it saw Li Yi swimming near the big willow tree, breathed a sigh of relief, stretched out its tail, probed into the mud, and wrapped it around Li Yi's tail.

Li Yi looked at it, and it emerged from the mud. So they went back to the hole in the big willow tree together.

……

It's another full moon night.

In the darkness of the night, the moonlight was unexpectedly abundant, like a surging tide, making the moon appear larger than usual. The sky was cloudless, dotted with stars.

The white python was delighted. It climbed up the tree trunk and reached the crown of the large willow tree, getting as close to the moonlight as possible while lowering its tail.

Li Yi struck the same pose as before, the scene of the thundercloud dragon in his mind still terrifyingly clear.

Based on what he had seen and heard that day, Li Yi was still adjusting his body little by little, trying to make it more like that kind of charm.

During this process, Li Yi's black scales began to glow slightly, and the surrounding moonlight gathered, making him appear even more divine.

After a while, the white python was awakened again by the blurry images of the insects and beasts. This time it was no different from before; it seemed that since they left their original nest, that perception had gradually become blurred.

The white python coiled its body around the rough trunk of the large willow tree, then returned to the ground. Its body, covered in delicate white scales, slowly wrapped around Li Yi.

This state seems to make it feel safer.

Li Yi moved slightly and felt that the moonlight gathered around him had increased, and a delicate snake body was coiled around him. He naturally understood what was going on.

Tonight is actually very crucial for it.

In Li Yi's spiritual world, the moonlight formed a pool that shimmered like a gemstone, surrounded by land composed of murky and heavy swampy air.

A miniature version of Li Yi, just like its juvenile form, was swimming freely in the pool.

As the moonlight continued to fall upon the pool, making it brighter and more dazzling, Li Yi's eyes also shone as he sank to the bottom of the pool.

At this moment, in his spiritual world, Li Yi's abdomen was pressed against the ground and his back against the pool water, creating a scene that exuded a certain natural charm, yet the two were clearly defined, gradually forming a kind of balance...

As the moonlight faded, Li Yi suddenly trembled, feeling as if he had merged into the nearby swamp, his whole body burning hot.

The white python paused for a moment, then realized that the scales of the body it was coiling around were pressing and rubbing against each other, and the flesh and bones were making sounds. It quickly pushed the body away.

Li Yi closed his eyes, and thick, stagnant smoke emanated from beneath him, a dark brown color typical of swampy land. Faint wisps of moonlight rose from his body, incomparably bright.

Under these circumstances, the sixth ink scale, as smooth as a mirror, finally grew slowly along Li Yi's spine.

At a certain moment, Li Yi suddenly opened his eyes, a fleeting glint of bloodlust and hunger flashing in his brownish-yellow eyes before he calmed down.

It broke through.

However, this breakthrough was different; even the white python noticed this unusual phenomenon.

His own path had already taken shape, possessing both the radiance of the moon in the sky and the energy of the swamp, and he had already embarked on an unknown path.