From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

With a sense of unease, Li Yi quickly returned to the place where the big willow tree was located. It was a peaceful place, and the big willow tree was surrounded by lazy green-scaled crocodiles, who were leisurely sunbathing.

A group of swamp puppies ran around happily, crawling about everywhere.

Instead of returning to the big willow tree immediately, Li Yi wandered among the green-scaled crocodiles for a long time to check if any of them had been parasitized by the ancient strange insect body.

But the result is still good; at least for now, Li Yi has not found anything.

Perhaps it looked down on these weak, untrained green-scaled crocodiles.

After wandering around, Li Yi found the white python that was cultivating and told it what had happened through mental communication and some fragmented images.

The white python was terrified and coiled around Li Yi. It was the first to witness that strange phenomenon when it was breathing out moonlight, which led them to leave their original nest.

Nowadays, the ancient strange insects, though dead, do not die; they transform into another form, becoming parasites with camouflage, making them impossible to kill.

This nightmare lingered for so long that the white python lost all interest in cultivation, listlessly coiling around Li Yi, lost in thought.

Li Yi also felt the situation was tricky, and immediately ordered it to keep a close watch on the area around the big willow tree and not to go out rashly. At the same time, he forbade the green-scaled crocodiles from going out to hunt any creatures that looked like baboons.

If the ancient monster were to establish its foundation at some unknown time, that would be a real disaster.

With the shadow of death hanging over him, ready to fall at any moment, Li Yi remained under the tree, lost in thought, as his back injury flared up again.

The burning pain gradually intensified, causing it to wag its tail irritably.

The white python quickly noticed and gently used the crystal-clear water to help Li Yi suppress the injuries inside his body.

Before long, it began to study the purple fragment again.

This might be the only thing that could possibly fight against the ancient monster, and it also contains the secret to completely resolving the other fragment within Li Yi's body, making it of paramount importance.

After some thought, Li Yi decided to relocate the group of green-scaled crocodiles away from this area, as it was too dangerous and no longer suitable for them to live in.

The reason why neither he nor the white python left was because the mother crocodile was still in the process of building her foundation.

If the ancient monsters really discover this place, all of these green-scaled crocodiles will become the shells of its offspring.

As dusk approached, Li Yi headed alone towards the direction from which the group of green-scaled crocodiles had come, an area said to be ruled by the Blue-Eyed Golden Toad clan.

The ones that really can't be exposed are the mother crocodiles. As long as this group of green-scaled crocodiles finds a safe place to live, there won't be any problems.

Li Yi prepared to go and explore the area alone.

Golden light spilled onto the dark, muddy swamp, creating ripples like flowing water, which were quickly dispersed by a black spine.

A large group of venomous spiders with glowing green eyes roamed in front of them. Their abdomens were round and plump with red stripes, and they had eight slender legs and were hairless.

Several of the seemingly migrating poisonous spiders possessed cultivation, roughly at the first or second level of the Qi Refining stage, and walked at the front and rear of the group.

Suddenly, a shower of sharp, thorny drops fell upon them.

Chi Chi Chi!

In an instant, most of the poisonous spiders were pierced and pinned to the spot. These sharp spines, with their chilling barbs, could not be pulled out once they pierced the abdomen.

Several poisonous spiders with cultivation immediately flew into a rage, but were instantly killed by even more spikes.

A black and white porcupine slowly appeared, dragging a large patch of sharp quills that covered its back, and arrived here at a leisurely pace.

It enjoyed the bursting, delicious food, completely oblivious to the piercing hiss of the poisonous spiders.

It was completely unaware that Li Yi had already set his sights on it not far away.

This area is quite good; there's only a porcupine at the fourth level of Qi Refining occupying it, so there's almost no obvious threat. And those poisonous spiders are still migrating from who-knows-where.

It's somewhat barren, but safe enough.

Li Yi planned to settle the green-scaled crocodiles here, and deal with the rest later.

Just as it was about to kill the porcupine, the porcupine suddenly trembled all over, and the sharp quills on its body collided and rubbed against each other, making a rustling sound.

The porcupine's tiny eyes stared in one direction, terrified to the extreme, yet it dared not run.

"Heh, where did this little demon come from? So weak."

A giant toad passed by, its pair of deep blue eyes exceptionally large. After glancing at the porcupine, it headed back in the direction Li Yi had come from.

Li Yi sank into the mud and silently turned away.

A blue-eyed golden toad at the ninth level of Qi Refining is not to be underestimated; it is definitely a formidable opponent. Hopefully, it is not just heading to my territory.

Swimming rapidly through the mud, Li Yi kept glancing back, his heart sinking.

The toad walked and stopped intermittently, seemingly searching for some trace, and kept hanging behind it, almost reaching the edge of its territory.

The moment he entered the boundary of his territory, Li Yi quickened his pace and headed towards the big willow tree, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

Sure enough, not long after, the blue-eyed toad wobbled to the vicinity of the big willow tree, looked at the green-scaled crocodiles basking in the sun around it, and let out a croak.

"Found it, this is it, Green Crocodile Girl. It's me! Why did you leave without a word? Could it be... you're about to reach Foundation Establishment?"

The blue-eyed toad's voice spread, causing all the surrounding green-scaled crocodiles to scatter in panic.

It shook its head, completely ignoring these things, and swaggered towards the big willow tree, calling out:

"Green Crocodile Girl, you don't need to worry about this. As long as you successfully establish your foundation, transform into human form, and choose to be my Daoist partner... hehehe, I guarantee you'll be safe and sound afterward!"

"Did you hear that?"

After a shout, the white python poked its head out of the tree hole and rang out with a melodious voice.

"Fellow Daoist, you seem to have come to the wrong place. There are no Green Crocodile Girls here."

"Ouch?"

Upon seeing the white python, the blue-eyed toad stared wide-eyed, its eyes scanning back and forth between the python's fine white scales and its heterochromatic pupils.

"Croak! This little white-haired girl, ninth level of Qi Refining? How about becoming my Daoist partner after you reach Foundation Establishment? Hehe... To be honest, I'm about to reach Foundation Establishment. You haven't heard of the Blue-Eyed Golden Toad clan?"

A hint of disdain flashed in the white python's eyes. It already had someone it loved, and besides, the strange insect from the distant lands had already made it very irritable. It was about to rebuke them without any politeness, but then it remembered what Li Yi had told it, and its tone softened.

"Fellow Daoist, I don't know where the crocodile sister you're looking for is?"

"Don't know?" The blue-eyed toad snorted. "These green-scaled crocodiles followed it away, aren't they all here? I remember its scent perfectly!"