From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

Soon, the Devil Tree's activity gradually decreased, and it simply stayed put.

Although the surroundings have cleared up and its senses have spread out again, it is tormented by both the burning and Li Yi's poison. Large patches of bark have turned black and peeled off, and the inside is also murky.

It needs to rest quietly now and should not continue to be active.

After a while, Li Yi resurfaced, staring coldly at the motionless Demon Tree.

Its toxins were ultimately not strong enough. Although it had grown considerably, it still couldn't kill it completely; it could only worsen its injuries.

Who knows what might happen later?

After thinking for a moment, Li Yi quietly turned and headed towards the location of the mine.

This time, with the citrine mine no longer a problem, the Flamebreath Fox Clan probably won't come here anytime soon, as they suffered considerable losses at the Devil Tree.

A body covered in black scales emerged from the swampy mud, quickly set foot on solid ground, and slowly burrowed into the citrine vein.

This was Li Yi's first time entering the interior of this mine.

A very obvious mine shaft appeared before Li Yi, with traces of excavation on the edges. A troop of baboons had once lived nearby, and red-faced monkeys had also come here.

Today, the red foxes that occupy the cedar trees probably once mined the natural, pure citrine veins here.

The shimmering yellow crystal created a unique, faint energy field within the mine, blocking out most of the swamp's poisonous venom, making it a short-lived haven.

Li Yi crawled inside, his black scales rubbing against the yellow crystal.

quack!

A piece of citrine was crushed and flew out. This mine was not too big for Li Yi, and he would bump into the inner wall from time to time.

There is only one entrance to this mine, but inside, it has been carved out into a complex network of branching tunnels, each one smaller and winding its way into the depths.

Seeing that he had reached the end and could not continue to drill in, Li Yi looked around and began to look for the ore he needed.

Its gaze swept across the translucent citrine crystals.

Finally, Li Yi's gaze settled on a citrine ore with a huge, hazy, dark shadow floating in it.

There is undoubtedly a large piece of accompanying brown crystal inside, which is the essence of the swamp and also what I need for my cultivation.

As for the citrine itself, it was prepared for the white python.

Click!

Once he identified his target, Li Yi opened his mouth wide and bit into the yellow crystal ore, causing fragments to fly everywhere.

How powerful is Li Yi's physical strength? With strong teeth and the most important feature of the Crocodile genus, his bite force, which is already at the seventh level of Qi Refining, is enough to easily crush these yellow crystals that are not particularly hard.

After a commotion, Li Yi slowly emerged from the citrine vein, which was the size of a millstone and contained a phantom image with a corner of dark brown exposed.

After checking that there was no movement, Li Yi, with the huge rock in his mouth, dived into the mud.

The burning pain from the wound on my back, with the purple fragments embedded in my flesh, was still throbbing and seemed to be getting more intense.

Li Yi knew that his old injury was showing signs of recurring, and he could only return to the Big Willow Tree area as soon as possible.

Fortunately, it has become completely accustomed to this regularly recurring burning pain and can resist it through willpower.

Since breaking through to the seventh level of the Qi Refining stage, as long as the injury is not triggered by Flame Breath Fox Clan members like Old Fox, Li Yi will not lose any combat power.

It will just get more and more painful.

Following the same route, several hours passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Yi chewed on the huge ore in his mouth, occasionally peeking out with his two brownish-yellow eyes to look around, watching the area approaching his territory.

Amidst the hazy yellow mist ahead of the swamp, a vibrant red color flashed by.

Li Yi paused for a moment, instantly realizing it was a red-haired fox with a faint aura of spiritual energy, which naturally made it wary.

Are those foxes back again?

After a brief moment of thought, Li Yi, still holding the yellow crystal in his mouth, changed direction and sped up to catch up.

Following the faint scent, Li Yi proceeded at a leisurely pace and soon spotted the red fox in one direction.

At this moment, it was warily looking around, standing on a dead tree trunk lying across the swamp.

It seems that this is the only fox that has come here this time, which is unusual in itself.

It glanced around furtively, its lifelike eyes filled with a hint of natural fear. After lingering on the tree trunk for a while, it groped its way in another direction.

Li Yi secretly watched it and followed it again.

It wanted to see what the red fox was doing there before it made its move.

Yes, Li Yi was already prepared to throw away the yellow crystal in his mouth at any time, and he didn't intend to let this red-haired fox leave here alive.

Of course, it would be best to capture them alive, as we might be able to extract some information from them.

The last time I found traces of them was near the nest of ancient monsters, and they suffered considerable losses.

This time, it would be best to ensure that any fox that comes to this territory alone dies here and never returns.

This might temporarily deter the group of red foxes from exploring this area.

After following silently, Li Yi watched as the elusive red-haired fox arrived near the banyan tree, peeking out from a patch of dark green foliage.

The baboon troop under the red banyan tree still looked listless, clearly not yet fully recovered from the heavy losses inflicted in the previous battle.

Several baboons sat atop some thick tree roots, their sharp eyes scanning their surroundings, always on guard for the sake of their troop.

Their eyes occasionally flashed with an orange halo, making their gaze instantly sharper, as if they could pierce through poisonous barriers.

In the silent swamp, Li Yi stared at the red-haired fox, which was furtively watching the red-leaf banyan tree, remaining completely still for a moment.

The red fox seemed to be waiting for something; its fur was so brightly colored in the swamp that it was very cautious.

Li Yi was extremely patient, far more patient than the fox, and he didn't intend to return to the big willow tree immediately, but just waited.

If the ancient monster were to suddenly appear around it, it believed that the fox would be the first to suffer, followed by the baboon, and finally itself.

As the sun sets, dusk falls, and then the deep night descends, the vibrant red leaves of the banyan trees gradually fade.

There is no moon tonight; it is pitch black and dim.

The red fox peeked around cautiously for a while, and finally it was about to make a move. Li Yi just watched.