From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

As dusk fell, golden sunlight shone on the backs of Li Yi and the mother crocodile. Their four eyes gazed at the towering fir trees in the distance as they slowly swam over.

The yellow fog grew thicker, obscuring the mother crocodile. Li Yi led it past the cedar trees and caught a glimpse of it up close.

The red foxes here are alert, glancing around from time to time with sharp eyes, and a gaze that seems almost tangible shines through the dense pine needles.

Li Yi saw that several red-haired foxes with cultivation were injured, and there was a faint smell of blood in the air, so he knew that they had recently fought with something.

It's most likely a devil tree nearby.

With a sense of urgency in his heart, Li Yi led the mother crocodile and hurried towards the mine. Soon after, they arrived safely at the mine.

The mother crocodile sighed in admiration and eagerly squeezed her massive body inside, beginning to dig.

Li Yi looked at the height of the exposed mineral vein on the surface and sensed something was wrong.

The mine, which was chained up, was slowly rising to the surface, but Li Yi still managed to spot it.

Li Yi had explored this place before, but the other end of the chain was a place he could not reach.

Without a doubt, this mineral vein suspended in the swamp was created by human cultivators; it's unclear whether its slow ascent is a good thing or a bad thing.

After settling into solid ground, Li Yi surveyed his surroundings. There had been no trace of the red foxes for quite some time, indicating that they had temporarily abandoned the area.

There was no sign of the Devil Tree anywhere.

After digging for a while, the two enormous creatures finally selected two pieces of citrine ore the size of millstones, with large pieces of brown quartz accompanying them both inside and out.

The mother crocodile greedily savored the aura of the brown crystal, wishing she could take a bite right now, and headed towards the mine entrance with Li Yi.

Having just brought two huge ore blocks outside the vein, Li Yi and the mother crocodile paused simultaneously, their heads turning towards an unknown direction deep within the swamp.

A faint, life-giving scent, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees, wafted in with the flowing yellow mist, embodying a nascent spirituality.

"A rare and precious treasure has been born!" the mother crocodile whispered.

Li Yi glanced in that direction, then at the direction of the cedar trees. The wind was blowing towards the cedar trees, which would probably alert the group of red foxes.

So it tried its best to stir up the poisonous barrier around it, forming a vortex to buy as much time as possible. Then it turned around and pushed the two pieces of ore back into the mine before leading the mother crocodile to explore in that direction.

The swamp was vast and boundless, yet it was also full of spiritual energy, making it not uncommon for it to nurture rare and precious materials. This alluring fragrance made Li Yi decide to go and take a look.

Anyway, both it and the mother crocodile are quite powerful, and with me around, even if we encounter the Demon Ancient Tree here, we can escape with ease.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

Upon entering the unknown territory, Li Yi and the mother crocodile proceeded cautiously, knowing that the swamp was fraught with danger, and they did not move quickly.

After some time, Li Yi estimated that they had arrived in a truly unknown territory.

This is neither the territory of the Flamebreath Fox Clan nor the domain of the Blue-Eyed Golden Toad. It is the direction in which the Toad Senior disappeared. According to him, there is a green lake in this direction.

However, it certainly wouldn't rashly travel to such a far place now.

Suddenly, the mud on the side rose up silently, and Li Yi and the mother crocodile were startled and fell silent, hiding themselves.

A giant scorpion emerged from the mud, its body already two-thirds the length of Li Yi. Its body was covered with a thick, gray carapace, and its tail was thick with a venomous stinger that gleamed coldly.

For a venomous insect to grow to this size is truly terrifying.

This large gray scorpion undoubtedly possessed the cultivation level of the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage, nearing the Foundation Establishment stage.

It brandished a pair of enormous pincers and swayed its tail a few times. Although it looked dull-witted, it was truly terrifying, making no attempt to hide as it headed towards the direction from which the aroma wafted.

After exchanging a glance with the mother crocodile, Li Yi followed behind it.

As the aroma grew closer and stronger, Li Yi saw that the once quiet swamp had become bustling with activity.

Many beings of all kinds, possessing cultivation, were attracted by this fragrance and followed their instincts to head in that direction.

Some of them even started fighting each other on the way, which was extremely bloody.

Li Yi observed his surroundings, a thick yellow mist rising around him as he slowly moved towards the direction from which the fragrance was coming. All the creatures swallowed up by the poisonous barrier were hunted down and devoured by him and the mother crocodile.

As you continue walking, a large tree appears ahead, its roots firmly planted in the mud, beneath which lies the fragrant natural treasure.

It was a two-foot-tall vine, entirely dark green, much of it withered, with two plump fruits hanging on it, bending the end of the vine under their weight.

The fruits are black and green, both spherical. The black fruit has a semi-transparent skin and contains a flowing black liquid inside, which appears to be naturally poisonous.

The green fruit has an oily green skin covered with black vein patterns, exuding a vibrant aura.

The black fruit attracted the covetous eyes of many poisonous insects present, while the green fruit was eyed covetously by other creatures.

Li Yi immediately recognized that the two fruits were crystallizations of the wood and water phases of the swamp. For creatures that instinctively cultivate the mixed energy of the swamp, they were like treasures, and could very likely lead them to a wider path.

For them, this is an opportunity that can greatly enhance their cultivation speed, saving them a lot of time and effort.

The mother crocodile's eerie green eyes gleamed with an unusual light, and she was already eagerly preparing. Li Yi stopped her, staring at the tree behind the vines.

If it wasn't mistaken, this should be the Devil Tree near the cedar, with a few faint charred marks on its body, its blade-like leaves swaying slightly, looking quite peaceful now.

Li Yi could already imagine the scene of this demonic ancient tree wreaking havoc and devouring flesh and blood.

This is a trap.

But after thinking about it, it decided not to give up.

Since the vine fruit is real, for now, we can just take it one step at a time, as there are many others present who are even more eager and anxious than it.

Before long, some unknown poisonous insects approached the Devil Tree and began fighting each other, plunging the entire area into chaos.

Once the battle began, it couldn't be stopped. It quickly spread to all areas, and the alluring aura of the spirits mingled with the stench of blood, plunging most of the creatures present into a frenzy.

The large scorpion, covered in a gray shell, looked majestic. It snapped a two-zhang-long dark red centipede in half with its claws and strode arrogantly toward the vines.

However, none of them noticed that the yellow poisonous barrier was growing thicker and thicker all around, gradually enveloping the area.