From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

In the past month, Li Yi has had a few rare deep sleeps, which has somewhat quelled its restlessness caused by the burning pain, and restored much of the indifference and patience that belong to a hunter.

These are all due to those few poisonous flowers whose species could not be identified.

The sedative effect of the potent poison and its inherent immense spiritual power flowed into Li Yi's body like a river, cleansing his skin and removing impurities, causing the black scales on Li Yi's body to gradually reflect an eerie luster in the light.

The swampy energy within his body was amplified by this potent poison, and coupled with the obstruction of Li Yi's cultivation of Moon Essence, which resulted in poor effectiveness, the balance tilted slightly once again.

But things are not out of control yet.

Li Yi continued to grow stronger, but at a slower pace, while the white python recently had the urge to molt and hibernate again, spending most of the day coiled up in deep sleep.

After basking in the sun, Li Yi left the big willow tree, preparing to go out and see if the dangerous demon tree was still there, and also to pick some more poisonous flowers.

The journey went smoothly, and Li Yi did not notice any new bone fragments scattered around him.

Moreover, the beasts with cultivation and spirituality that roam around this area are probably all killed by the demon tree.

Those that remain now are probably mostly protected by the spirit tree.

After eating a few blood prey, Li Yi arrived at the clump of low, dark green fruit trees growing somewhere in the swamp.

It remains quiet here, with occasional murky winds blowing through, rustling the dark green leaves of the fruit trees and revealing the round, bluish-red fruits inside.

Seeing that the trees were already laden with fruit, Li Yi knew that the monkey troop hadn't come here to hunt for a long time.

The demonic tree was no longer in its original spot; it had moved to a different location sometime during the day, shifting from the east side of the fruit tree grove to the west side, seemingly growing impatient.

After observing the surroundings several times, Li Yi stared at the seemingly ordinary demon tree, but he could always sense a deeply hidden bloodlust and sinister aura.

A few days ago, Li Yi came here to check, and the demon tree was still in the same place. But in just a few days, the demon tree has changed direction.

If the monkey troop doesn't come soon, it will have to leave and hunt elsewhere.

The two places closest to here are undoubtedly the two closest.

The large willow tree where I and the white python lived, or the red-leaf banyan tree where the red-faced monkeys lived.

If it chooses to attack the banyan tree, it could probably slaughter most of the red-faced monkeys simply by using its leaves and other long-range attacks.

Then they would lose a stable area for food production.

If it attacks the big willow tree, it and the white python will be trapped, and from then on they will be in even greater trouble.

This demonic tree was controlled by an incredibly powerful bloodlust, almost to the point of madness, and the last thing it would do was simply leave.

Li Yi remained motionless, pondering the matter. He decided it was time to stabilize the demon tree and prevent it from affecting him, so he turned and left.

After picking a few more poisonous flowers and plants that looked completely different, Li Yi left the brightly colored area, completely unaware that a toad was fast asleep inside.

Back inside the big willow tree, Li Yi placed several black mud balls on the yellow wax stone, glanced at the last small piece of yellow crystal, and quickly engaged in a new mental exchange with the white python, preparing to take action.

The white python nodded quickly, its vertical pupils filled with determination.

With noon fast approaching, Li Yi was the first to leave the big willow tree and set off on a long journey towards the cedar tree.

The white python, one of the few remaining, left the large willow tree and stealthily headed towards the red-leaf banyan tree.

The banyan tree is still thriving, but the group of monkeys living there are plunged into deep despair.

Fruit trees are not the only food source, but they are the largest. With this route cut off, the monkeys are starving every day, and recently several baby monkeys have starved to death and been eaten.

Most of the members here could survive, but the situation was clearly not good.

The Monkey King, with a composed expression, bent the thin scar across his face into an ugly arc, and personally surveyed the area under the tree, holding a wooden spear in one hand.

However, the other monkeys all stayed dejectedly under the tree, showing little interest in being active. Some of them secretly stared at the baby monkeys, their eyes darting around.

The white python moved around the red banyan tree, its body covered in a layer of water. It moved faster than Li Yi and soon intercepted several monkeys that had gone out to find food in one direction.

The monkeys looked around warily. The one in the lead had its hands empty, while the others each carried a small pile of blueberry-like fruits, not many in total.

As the red-leaf banyan tree appeared in front of them, the monkeys' eyes lit up, and they unconsciously quickened their pace, keeping their mouths tightly shut.

Suddenly, with a whoosh, several monkeys jumped up at the same time and looked back at the place where the commotion had occurred, where blue fruits were scattered all over the ground.

The monkey at the end of the line simply disappeared, leaving only a patch of scattered fruit and a tuft of fur under the mud.

"oh oh!"

After a short scream, the remaining monkeys hurriedly ran towards the red-leaf banyan tree with the remaining blue fruit.

The white python, its tail coiled around a red-faced monkey that had already fainted, swam through the mud and, after some time, arrived at the place where the demon tree was located.

It silently placed the monkey on the surface of the mud, and then a puddle of water suddenly splashed onto the monkey's face.

The monkey was startled and immediately jumped up, only to find a giant white python slowly emerging behind it, coldly staring at it.

It let out a cry of surprise and ran off in the opposite direction on all fours.

The hissing sound behind it was ever-present, sending chills down its spine.

After running for an unknown amount of time, it suddenly crashed into a dense thicket of trees, smelled a fragrant scent, and was then hit in the face by several fruits.

The monkey was taken aback, and when it realized that what was in front of it was a plump, round, greenish-red fruit, its face suddenly lit up with joy for a moment, and it was about to reach out and grab it.

Then, as if it had realized something, it was startled again and turned to rush out of the tree canopy.

The sound behind them disappeared without them noticing, and the ferocious white python vanished without a trace.

The monkey hadn't run very far when a dark shadow pierced its back, leaving it hanging up and spitting blood.

The blood that had just gushed from its mouth quickly receded, and its entire skin shriveled up. Its eyeballs also shriveled up as if they had lost their moisture, becoming dull and lifeless.

The demon tree retracted a branch, swayed it a few times in mid-air, and after a long while, it slowly twisted its roots and returned to the center of the fruit tree grove.

Upon seeing this, the white python nodded and turned to leave.