From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

The dark figure silently approached from behind the still-shaken red fox, using the sudden return of the thick fog to shield it from all senses.

It wasn't until Li Yi silently emerged from the thick fog that the fox turned around in horror, only to see a gaping maw of blood right in front of it.

At this critical moment of life and death, the fox unleashed all its potential, its entire head bursting into purple flames, and its eyes burning fiercely, leaving only two dark eye sockets in the blink of an eye!

Seeing that the decisive blow was imminent, Li Yi's massive head slightly changed direction, suddenly accelerated, and bit off the part of the fox's head below its head.

Li Yi's massive body came to an abrupt stop, then exerted all his strength, transmitting it segment by segment from his spine, and finally, with a head shake, he completely bit off the burning fox's head and flung it away.

The fox's head flew off at an angle, rolled a few times in the swamp, and then exploded with a bang, scattering broken bone fragments and purple flames like a burst of fireworks.

At that moment, Li Yi had already burrowed into the mud, bit the fox's entire body, and swallowed it.

This was a miscalculation. We should have waited until its magic power was more depleted before making our move. However... if we had waited, we might not have been able to retrieve the yellow crystal we lost.

Li Yi thought with a slight sense of regret.

Originally, Li Yi intended to use the poison barrier to deplete the opponent's magic power, find an opportunity to bite off both of the opponent's legs, and take them back for questioning.

Unexpectedly, the fox was extremely fierce and used some kind of desperate magic to spontaneously combust.

Therefore, Li Yi had no choice but to change course midway and kill it completely to avoid a lose-lose situation.

Then it quickly turned and headed towards the spot where the citrine had been left.

After some time, Li Yi narrowly escaped and found the yellow crystal he had dropped from the edge of the deep silt. He breathed a sigh of relief and headed back towards the red banyan tree.

Late at night, Li Yi watched for a while, his gaze locking onto a small protrusion at the edge of the red-leaf banyan tree's shelter. He didn't find anything unusual, but he did smell a strange and faint wisp of poisonous smoke.

The toxic fumes were colorless and odorless, posing no threat to them, but were unknowingly inhaled by the baboons under the banyan tree.

Li Yi only felt a slight dizziness, and then all discomfort disappeared.

A baboon groggily raised its head, swayed from side to side a couple of times, and then staggered as if it were drunk.

Before it could realize something was wrong and make a sound, it had already collapsed to the ground.

After looking around, Li Yi turned and left. Based on his senses, he estimated that the poisonous smoke would take a whole night to fully take effect.

It will return during the day to see more closely what the red foxes are up to.

This group of Flamebreath Foxes is extremely powerful. They probably discovered long ago that the baboons were not completely dead, and they are using this method now, so they probably have some purpose.

Under the big willow tree, Li Yi appeared with a large piece of yellow crystal in his mouth, unaware of any movement around him.

That's fortunate.

The white python slithered out of the tree hole, wrapped its slender but strong tail around the citrine, and then spat out a beam of orange light from its mouth, splitting the citrine in two with a hiss.

This precise strike revealed a large piece of accompanying brown crystal inside, and a unique spiritual aura belonging to the swamp caused Li Yi's pupils to dilate slightly.

With the citrine sword, the white python precisely manipulated it to cut off the brown crystal, then cut the remaining citrine into pieces and sent them little by little into the tree hole.

Finally, Li Yi entered the tree hole with a large piece of brown crystal in his mouth.

Finally, with a new citrine, the white python excitedly swept its tail across Li Yi's back and pressed its delicate body close to him.

Li Yi didn't react much. He went to the yellow wax stone, closed his eyes impatiently, bit the brown crystal in his mouth, and entered a state of cultivation.

Soon, the spirituality of the brown crystal emanated from it, allowing Li Yi's spirit to slowly merge with the swamp below.

After a long time, Li Yi once again felt the breath and pulse of the boundless swamp below. It was vast and boundless, like a sleeping giant beast.

Li Yi's perception also quickly became strange, as if at this moment it had become this boundless swamp, silently watching everything change.

The large willow tree appeared clearly in Li Yi's perception. The white python that had been rubbing against Li Yi suddenly stopped, flicking its tongue at Li Yi's black body, as if it sensed that Li Yi was looking at it from a completely new perspective.

Unlike when it absorbed the moonlight, when it absorbed the moonlight, Li Yi felt an unprecedented sense of tranquility and coolness, but after venturing deep into the swamp, it felt an endless, turbid, and flowing aura.

Yes, the energy of the swamp is extremely complex, containing many completely different things. Using it for cultivation can even affect the growth of one's intelligence, gradually leading to a state of confusion and dullness.

From Li Yi's perspective, the outermost layer of the swamp's energy was a diffused yellow mist. Although it was mist, it belonged to the earth element and was nurtured by the essence of the swamp.

As this perception deepened, Li Yi glimpsed the inner workings of the chaotic swampy energy.

This time, with his cultivation reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining, and having already refined a portion of the swamp's energy, a new door opened before him.

Li Yi saw more things, such as the flowing wood phase like the wind, and the deep, wispy black water phase.

These two seemingly strange combinations of the Five Elements were completely unexpected by Li Yi.

How can the wood element flow like the wind?

Why does the water phase not look like flowing water?

A wave of doubts arose in Li Yi's mind. After careful analysis, he discovered that the swamp gas was actually such a complex and strange structure.

Just as Li Yi was drawn to the lush green breeze and instinctively wanted to explore further, he suddenly jolted awake.

The white python was still rubbing against him, and the dim tree hole in the big willow tree, the wrinkled bark, and a strange fragrance... all his senses returned.

Thinking about what had happened before, Li Yi slightly tightened his mouth, and some gray fragments peeled off the brown crystal in his mouth.

This kind of swamp spirit is indeed very useful.

Li Yi was deeply shaken. This cultivation method was like divine assistance, much faster than his own gradual exploration.

After sensing the time, Li Yi realized it was still night and knew that not much time had passed, so he continued cultivating while biting the brown crystal.

The white python suddenly crept closer to Li Yi, carefully examining the black scales on Li Yi's body with its icy blue vertical pupil, before falling asleep beside him.

After a moment of silence, Li Yi entered that state again, becoming one with the swamp. This time, it had a fixed goal and began to directly comprehend the water-related portion of the swamp's energy.