The swamp pulsed with life. Vines as thick as arms swayed overhead, their barbs dripping with poison. Mists coiled like living serpents, hiding the croaks of unseen predators and the dying gurgles of prey. In this land, everything breathed violence.
And yet, the Crocodile King moved like a ghost.
Li Chen slithered through the mud-choked waters, each movement silent despite his massive form. His wounds had sealed—thanks to regeneration—but the hunger remained. Evolution Points were everything. Power was everything.
He needed more.
The system's voice echoed in his mind, emotionless and ever-present.
> [Warning: Current prey levels insufficient for significant gains. Recommendation: Hunt rare-class beast targets or herb-devouring spiritual beasts.]
He paused beneath a ridge of moss-covered rock. His golden eyes scanned the terrain. The system wasn't wrong. Lesser beasts gave too few Evolution Points to matter anymore. Even devouring twenty mid-level snakes earlier had barely given him +25 EP.
He needed smarter prey—rare, spirit-fed, and territorial.
As if summoned by his will, the water ahead rippled. A strange bleating cry pierced the mist.
There.
A two-horned creature stepped into view. Hooved, green-scaled, and dripping with elemental energy. A Spiritual Horned Grazer—Level 4 beast. Peaceful by nature, but incredibly valued for the spiritual grasses it consumed to maintain its mana-rich blood. Herb-devourers like it were walking treasures.
> [Target Identified: Spiritual Horned Grazer – Estimated EP Gain: 80–110]
[Bloodline Trait Available: "Natural Mana Flow"]
Li Chen sank low, barely disturbing the surface. He moved with monstrous patience. He had been a human before, yes—but one trained in ambush warfare. In this body, those instincts thrived.
The grazer bent to drink from the water.
Too slow.
He struck.
His bulk erupted from the muck, a scaled missile of death. His jaws clamped around the grazer's neck before it could even bleat in panic. Bones shattered. Blood fountained.
The grazer died instantly.
> [Beast Consumed – +97 Evolution Points]
[Trait Sampled: Natural Mana Flow – Store or Absorb?]
"Store it," Li Chen muttered, tasting mana-rich flesh as the warmth surged through him.
> [Total EP: 227]
He turned to drag the corpse back to the shallows when the ground shifted.
Boom.
The swamp floor collapsed beneath him.
He fell.
Tumbling, his massive frame smashed through layers of roots, water, and broken stone until he slammed into something hard and ancient.
Dust. Old mana. Ruins.
> [System Alert: Unknown Structure Detected – Estimated Age: 30,000+ Years]
[Residual Beast God Qi Detected – Warning: Fragmented Will Present]
Li Chen hauled himself upright.
The chamber was vast, circular, and lined with worn statues of ancient beasts—dragons, serpents, lions with wings, and a great crocodile whose eyes shimmered with faint light. Faint inscriptions coated the walls, humming with lost energy.
> [Beast Inscription: "Trial of Old Fang" Detected – Translate?]
"Yes."
The wall blazed with faint gold, revealing text written in beast-tongue.
> "To devour all, one must first become all. Accept the trial of forms. Absorb the essences. Become more than a beast."
Beneath the words, a faded claw mark pulsed.
> [Optional Trial Activated – "Old Fang's Hunger"]
Requirements: Devour three ancient essences within the ruin. Estimated Reward: ???]
Li Chen's golden eyes glinted.
Three ancient essences? A risk, yes. But power like this… could vault him closer to Emperor-level evolution. His claws pressed into the moss-covered stone. He could feel it—the hunger of this place matched his own.
"Accept."
> [Trial Accepted – Essence One: Locked in Serpent of Stone]
[Trial Tip: The prey within is no beast. Caution advised.]
He turned as the stone shifted again.
A serpent statue slithered, dust falling from its frame. It opened glowing jade eyes and lunged.
Stone… but alive.
Li Chen roared and met it head-on, snapping at its neck while his tail lashed sideways. The battle had begun—and for the first time, he fought not just for points…
…but for ancient, forgotten evolution.
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