From Swamp Dog to Crocodile Ancestor

As it approached within a foot of the old baboon, the blue-eyed golden toad was losing patience. Its kind had roamed this area for countless years and had no fear whatsoever.

Except for some that are buried deep in the silt.

"What an rude old baboon!"

The blue-eyed toad croaked and spat out a pool of viscous, blue-gold liquid that grazed the old baboon's shoulder and landed on the ground in front of it.

Instantly, the ground softened and then sank deeply, releasing a wisp of extremely unpleasant mist.

"Still no reaction? Could it be... I've fallen for an illusion?"

The blue-eyed toad grew suspicious and angry, its senses scanning the area in front of it as if nothing was there.

"Are you really playing me?!"

With a powerful leap from its hind legs, it glided lightly over the old baboon's head and landed in front of it. Upon closer inspection, it was instantly enraged.

"That old baboon, so cunning and treacherous, he actually managed to concoct a fake body to deceive me!"

Now, facing the old baboon directly, how could this still be a living being? It was nothing more than a flimsy shell, even its face was hollow, its inside a reddish-brown color, filled with dried blood.

"Green Crocodile Sister? Are you there?"

After realizing it had been tricked, the blue-eyed toad looked left and right under the red-leaf banyan tree, unwilling to leave.

In this area, it has already discovered two Qi Refining Stage 9 cultivators, a green-scaled crocodile, a white python with abnormal bloodline, and an old baboon it has never seen before, but who likes to use some tricks.

Three Qi Refining Stage 9 cultivators—these need to be dealt with carefully, otherwise, if the one who quietly reached Foundation Establishment stage happens, it will be troublesome.

A dark red banyan leaf slowly drifted down from the treetop. Upon closer inspection, its surface revealed some kind of yellowish-green veins, segmented like some kind of twisted centipede.

"Damn it! That old baboon is truly despicable; he's taken my little green crocodile sister somewhere... I'll stay here and guard her; I refuse to believe she won't come back!"

The blue-eyed toad muttered angrily to itself, sat down under the red-leafed banyan tree, and casually patted the flimsy old baboon's fur.

A faint sound of some kind of viscous fluid flowing could be heard.

Looking at the scene before him, Li Yi felt a surge of fear and retreated a short distance.

Above the blue-eyed golden toad's head, a crack silently appeared in the red-leaf banyan tree, its edges draped with strands of yellowish-green slime. Inside, various limbs surged and appeared faintly, densely packed.

Two rows of irregular, tooth-like structures, deathly white, gradually grew from the edge of the opening.

The crack gradually widened, but the blue-eyed toad remained completely unaware, a sight that sent chills down Li Yi's spine.

"At that time, both Sister White and Sister Green Crocodile will be my Daoist partners, hehe..."

Just as the blue-eyed toad was talking to itself, a large mass of wildly growing limbs rushed out of its mouth and swallowed it up in an instant, pulling it into the crack.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, incredibly fast.

The opening slowly closed, and the two rows of teeth meshed together like gears, quickly disappearing from sight.

What happened here truly stunned Li Yi for a while before it came to an extremely horrifying conclusion.

Since this ancient and strange insect gained the ability to parasitize and possess the bodies of living beings, it has turned its attention to eroding a spirit tree!

And... it worked.

The current situation has once again exceeded its expectations. The red-leaf banyan tree still exudes a vibrant and spiritual aura, and the area it can isolate from the poisonous barrier has actually become larger.

But Li Yi knew just how terrifying it was inside.

This ancient, immortal insect has taken on a new life form, becoming a kind of immobile monster, waiting for the arrival of other living beings.

This is a monster who has disguised himself perfectly.

After waiting for a long time, Li Yi couldn't help but test the waters once again. Amidst a sudden gathering of yellow poisonous clouds, a pitch-black poison bullet pierced the air and exploded on the dense canopy of the red-leaf banyan tree.

The black venom splattered everywhere, but it was all absorbed by the wrinkled bark, the leaves gradually covered with yellow-green veins, and the twisted branches.

There were no traces of corrosion, and no other disturbances; everything remained peaceful and undisturbed.

Li Yi felt a chill in his heart and turned to leave without hesitation.

It knows perfectly well how toxic its swamp water is; even a healthy old baboon would suffer serious injuries and need a long recovery period if hit.

But it had absolutely no effect on this red-leafed banyan tree.

As Li Yi swam through the mud, it felt an almost suffocating urgency. All it wanted now was to quickly relocate the green-scaled crocodiles near the big willow tree.

This place is becoming increasingly unsafe, with another deadly danger that could erupt at any moment.

Back under the big willow tree, Li Yi and the white python met. Their four eyes met, both filled with solemnity.

As it was getting dark, Li Yi decided not to wait any longer and slowly walked towards the porcupine in the darkness.

The darkness of night made the already dark swamp completely pitch black, and many treacherous poisonous insects emerged at this time, crawling out of the mud to hunt, devour, and reproduce.

Li Yi twisted his body covered in black scales and quickly arrived at the swampy area he had been in before.

There was no moon tonight, and everything was pitch black, but Li Yi's brown-yellow eyes could see the darkness clearly, and his senses were extremely sharp.

After wandering in this swamp for a short time, it sensed a faint, flickering breath.

The porcupine was fast asleep in one of its burrows, completely unaware of anything.

A thick, toxic cloud poured into the cave entrance, gradually filling the labyrinthine space inside the winding cavern.

The porcupine woke up quickly, its beady eyes staring in alarm at the thick poisonous cloud that had enveloped it. It hurriedly got up, its sharp quills clashing against each other with a rustling sound.

Although it can survive in the natural environment of the swamp without relying on the protection of the spirit tree, it cannot survive in such a thick, all-encompassing yellow fog.

It had just hurriedly poked its head out of the cave when Li Yi, who was guarding the cave entrance, bit off its head. The headless body spewed out blood rich in spiritual energy, attracting many poisonous insects.

After pulling the porcupine's body out of the burrow, Li Yi looked at its quills, then tossed it aside, leaving it to rot and sink into the swampy mud.

After eliminating the only cultivating creature in the area, Li Yi surveyed the area and, finding no problems, quickly returned to his territory under the cover of night to relocate the group of green-scaled crocodiles to this location.

This area is now part of the Blue-Eyed Golden Toad clan's territory. Although it's not exactly safe, it's still much better than the area where the Big Willow Tree is located.

After finishing everything, Li Yi returned to the big willow tree, looked at the dark sky and the empty surroundings, and slowly closed his eyes.