From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

A snail the size of a human head was moving across the surface of the swamp, carrying a brown, round shell on its back, its soft body stretching and contracting as it moved in one direction.

It has five soft tentacles, each with an eye at the end, which meander and twist in different directions, looking around.

Suddenly, a thick yellow fog appeared ahead, heavy like smoke, with faint thread-like traces visible in the air.

The snail quickly retracted its body, its tentacles retracting at the slightest touch, but it continued crawling forward and soon disappeared into the yellow mist.

It is not afraid of the ubiquitous poisonous hazard in the swamp; on the contrary, it grows in this environment, and in its simple mind, this is not a situation that needs to be avoided.

But soon, the dense yellow mist around them suddenly collapsed towards a single point, at a speed comparable to the receding tide, revealing a huge black figure inside.

Li Yi opened his mouth and swallowed all the yellow mist. He immediately felt a heavy current of air rising inside his body, pulling him straight down.

Then, the gaping maw slowly closed, and Li Yi closed his eyes at the same time.

Wisps of yellow mist seeped from the gaps in its black scales and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The swamp nurtures these ubiquitous poisonous barriers. This yellow mist originates from the unique veins of the swamp. Although it is an airflow, it is very heavy and is mainly composed of the earth element of the Five Elements.

Through continuous practice, Li Yi has gained a preliminary understanding of the properties of this yellow mist.

It is like poison but not poison; in fact, it is a kind of swampy yin energy that is omnipresent and can affect perception and senses, as well as corrode the physical body and magical power of living beings.

Once they gather in large numbers and cultivate to the level of Li Yi now, they can cause terrifying damage.

At this point, Li Yi had clearly identified the path to the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage: he needed to simultaneously absorb and exhale the moonlight and the earth-elemental swamp poison barrier, maintaining a balance between the two to allow the seventh black scale to grow.

The beginning is always the hardest, but Li Yi has already taken the first step and can be considered to have entered the field.

Just as Li Yi finished his cultivation, a continuous burning pain came from the wound on his back that had already healed.

However, this has no effect on Li Yi now. Li Yi's body has become incredibly strong, full of vitality, and he can suppress his injuries on his own.

As dusk approached, Li Yi wagged its tail and left the big willow tree.

It was still worried about the demon tree's movements. Although it had been observing it for several days, it still wanted to go and check on it.

The demon tree remained rooted in the spring, and Li Yi observed it from time to time, even approaching it occasionally, but it did not react at all.

However, the sharp-eyed Li Yi noticed fine black lines appearing on the roots of the demon tree exposed above the mud.

Under the dim sunlight of the swamp, this black line can refract a variety of colors at certain angles.

It seems my pollution was actually useful.

After surveying the area, Li Yi prepared to leave. Just as it was leisurely strolling towards the large willow tree, it suddenly smelled an unusual odor.

The smell seemed familiar, causing Li Yi to freeze in place. Without thinking, he plunged into the mud and headed in another direction.

Night falls quickly over the swamp; the twilight glow retreats from this dark land, giving way to the deep night.

In the vast swamp, Li Yi had vanished without a trace.

A massive green figure slowly and powerfully strode to the spot where Li Yi had disappeared and stood still.

The green crocodile opened its brownish-yellow eyes, scanning its surroundings, trying to find Li Yi and complete its revenge.

After several years, its body had grown to over three zhang in length, and its entire body was covered with fine green scales. The injuries it sustained that night had completely disappeared.

Before long, the green crocodile began to violently sweep its massive tail, its pupils revealing undisguised ferocity and madness.

It lost track of its mortal enemy.

In the darkness, Li Yi was watching it from a corner.

This is the aura of the seventh level of Qi Refining. The Green Crocodile's powerful speed is beyond its imagination, even surpassing its own level.

However, it still cultivates the mixed swampy energy, and the power within its body is chaotic and violent, incomparable to Li Yi's.

In this silent swamp, the relationship between hunter and prey suddenly reverses.

The green crocodile arrived just in time; Li Yi needed a blood meal to boost his strength, and it also had a plan to fall into a deep sleep, but it couldn't implement it yet.

Unbeknownst to them, the poisonous swampy surroundings began to thicken, and the green crocodile instinctively sensed something was wrong and immediately became alert.

Having endured countless battles, it sensed a chilling atmosphere nearby, as if something was watching it.

Bang bang bang!

The sound of slapping against the mud echoed, and the pale moonlight barely illuminated several equally large green figures following behind the green crocodile, approaching from afar.

This time, it is not alone either; it has its own forces.

Seven green-scaled crocodiles gathered together, mouths half-open, motionless in all directions, their thick limbs and bodies tense, ready to unleash a burst of power at any moment.

The scene fell into a deathly silence, and even the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

An immense pressure descended upon the green crocodile, making it tense.

In its previous memory, Li Yi was just an ordinary predator, strong, irritable, and capable of using poison.

Although both are crocodiles, its bloodline is slightly weaker than his own, making it less of a threat than the white python.

But now, that black shadow seems to have silently transformed into a deadly hunter lurking in the shadows, with even the swamp poisonous venom aiding it.

Whoosh!

The sound of something cutting through the air broke the silence.

Three black poison bullets flew out from the extremely dense yellow mist, and by the time the green-scaled crocodiles noticed them, the poison bullets had already exploded around them.

boom!

The pitch-black venom crawled up the dense green scales, and in an instant, a hissing corrosion sound rang out. Several green-scaled crocodiles felt a sharp pain as their scales were corroded and pierced, and their flesh hissed and groaned.

Enraged by the pain, the three-headed green-scaled crocodile went berserk and charged toward the area from which the poison bullets had been fired.

They burst forth with incredible speed, yet they missed their target.

Just as the seven green-scaled crocodiles had not yet gathered in the poisonous barrier, several more poison bullets were fired from another direction.

As before, their senses were obscured by the yellow mist, leaving them helpless to be attacked.

The green crocodile felt excruciating pain again. The flesh beneath its scales was gradually being seeped into by the venom. The pain told it that it was being slowly consumed by an unseen adversary.

Bang bang bang.

Chaotic footsteps echoed all around, and several young, powerful green-scaled crocodiles went berserk, rushing into the unseen area.

Even as he was tormented by excruciating pain, the green crocodile continued to gather its strength, ready to respond to any attack.

It has realized that its revenge... may have underestimated its opponent.