From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

Until the early hours of the next day, the sun brought the first rays of dawn, which fell on a patch of swampy mud, yet shimmered with light.

The shimmering water swayed slightly, moving forward like a snake, and soon a large willow tree came into view.

Li Yi emerged from the mud, his seven dark scales shimmering brilliantly in the morning light, but the green-scaled crocodiles only glanced at him before giving up.

Li Yi, with his mouth tightly shut, quickly passed through the haphazardly arranged green-scaled crocodiles and arrived under the large willow tree.

At this moment, the white python was coiled up, its body relaxed, its head hanging high, gathering the dawn light with a tiny drop of willow branch.

A touch of noble purple shimmered in its heterochromatic vertical pupils.

boom!

A low tremor resounded, and the mother crocodile slowly pushed the millstone-sized citrine vein on her back to the foot of the big willow tree. Li Yi was doing the same thing.

After finishing, Li Yi glanced at the white python that was still cultivating the Dawn Glow, kept his mouth tightly shut, turned to look at the mother crocodile, and then swung his body into the hole in the big willow tree.

The mother crocodile seemed to be thinking about something, and soon followed.

However, contrary to what the mother crocodile had imagined, Li Yi did not intend to find another place to reproduce with her. Instead, he mysteriously led her into the tree hole and blocked the entrance himself.

A hint of doubt flickered in its beautiful, deep green eyes, but it was quickly illuminated by a hazy red light.

Li Yi finally opened his mouth, revealing a wooden heart radiating red light. Within its translucent structure, a dark area was faintly visible, and the entire body shimmered with a red light that flickered like breathing.

The moment she saw it, a strange frenzy and bloodlust arose within the mother crocodile. She opened her mouth, wanting to destroy everything in its path.

A terrible thought arose from the depths of his heart, quickly obscuring everything else like a curtain.

Seeing the mother crocodile's change, Li Yi was prepared for the situation. He had already dug a pit, and now he threw the tree heart into the pit and pounced on it.

The mother crocodile was enveloped in a swirling, eerie green wind. Just as she was about to go berserk, Li Yi subdued her from above.

But this repression prevented it from being released, and the manic mental influence could not be dispelled, making it even more frenzied.

In the dimly lit tree hollow, two enormous figures were entangled. The mother crocodile frantically swung her massive body, her tail slamming against the inner wall of the hollow, her head shaking violently as if trying to crush something.

Reason had been obliterated from its eerie green eyes, and its bestial nature had been amplified.

Feeling the mother crocodile's violent struggles, Li Yi knew that continuing like this would not end well, so he could only suppress it with another primal desire.

Before long, the movements caused by the two figures, one in black and one in green, gradually became more regular.

Boom, boom, boom.

The white python had just finished cultivating the Dawn Glow technique when it felt a sensation in its heart. Suddenly, it felt muffled thuds coming from the scales on its belly that were touching the ground.

It was puzzled for a moment, then followed the noise to the hole in the big willow tree and curiously poked its head inside to take a look.

After watching for a long time, the white python's vertical pupils flickered and it withdrew, coiling itself up in front of the tree hole and burying its head in its coiled body.

The noise didn't stop until almost noon.

Li Yi dragged his exhausted body, his mouth tightly gripping the dangerous core of the ancient devil tree, as he squeezed out of the tree hole, his head immediately crashing into a cluster of delicate scales.

The white python immediately sprang to its feet, making way for Li Yi.

Li Yi glanced at it, deciding not to use it to test the core of the Demon Ancient Tree again. Although this thing had a surging spiritual power, it wasn't exactly safe.

Even a female crocodile at the ninth level of Qi Refining couldn't withstand this terrifying power; just a glance at it up close had such an effect.

It's better not to show it to the white python. If it also falls into that state... Li Yi won't be able to handle it.

After basking in the sun under the big willow tree for a while, the white python's tail quietly wrapped around Li Yi's tail. Li Yi opened his eyes, and a ball of light shone in his brownish-yellow eyes.

It's noon now; it's time to help the white python cultivate and gather the midday glow.

So the two arrived at another place not far from the big willow tree. Li Yi raised his head and controlled the layers of yellow mist in the sky to disperse, revealing a faint cave entrance.

Brighter rays of light shone on the suspended purple fragments, and a streak of fiery red light swirled rapidly around its edge before being swallowed whole by the white python.

After some time, Li Yi returned to the big willow tree to bask in the sun. The mother crocodile slowly emerged from the tree hole and sat next to him under the big willow tree, in the center of the entire green-scaled crocodile group, comfortably closing her eyes.

The white python carefully used a thin stream of water to cut the citrine, separating the accompanying brown crystals, and then sent them into the tree hole.

As dusk fell, the cultivation continued as usual. A piece of yellow crystal floated above the white python's head, gathering the golden glow of the sunset, causing an orange halo to flow around the edges of its eyes.

Its internal energy has reached a critical point of imbalance and is about to break through.

The white python that stayed by Li Yi's side gradually embarked on a unique path, one that was integrated with its own bloodline.

Li Yi sensed this faint aura. At this moment, it had just finished cultivating the insect nest with the poison barrier and slowly walked over, directly pressing its jaw against the white python's delicate scales to sense the raging flames that were about to take shape within its body.

This is a good thing; the white python is about to break through, probably tonight after it absorbs the moonlight.

As the white python disappeared into the tree hole, a body suddenly squeezed up next to Li Yi.

The mother crocodile blinked one eye at Li Yi, "What's with that red piece of wood?"

After a mental exchange, the mother crocodile pondered with a serious expression and said, "That thing is dangerous. You'd better throw it away. Even if it doesn't affect you, if you try to swallow it... then the situation will be different."

"Or, you can keep it and use it as a last resort in case there is a tendency to fail on the day of Foundation Establishment."

Li Yi nodded in deep agreement. It did indeed have this plan. Although the core of the Demon Tree was dangerous, the vitality and spiritual power contained within it were unimaginably strong. It seemed to be a combination of the Demon Tree and the ancient vine.

Once I truly reach the Foundation Establishment stage, given the unknown path I've chosen, unexpected events are very likely to occur.

The time will come... to use this tree heart.

As night was approaching, Li Yi, with the tree heart in his mouth, pondered and searched around. In the end, he dug a hole in another part of the willow tree's roots and hid the tree heart inside.

Tonight is a full moon. The white python slithered out of the tree hole, coiled up and looked at the moon, beginning to inhale and exhale moonlight. Li Yi quickly joined in.