Su He suddenly turned around and saw several water snakes swimming towards him lightly.

Leading them was clearly the Snake King, about six meters long and as thick as a small leg. Its entire body was a bright green, exceptionally beautiful. Su He actually felt a sense of "charm" from this snake.

It had also eaten the Demon Morphing Fruit!

A turtle and a snake simultaneously confirmed each other's identities.

The aura of the Demon Morphing Fruit was impossible to hide. Both sides stood quietly, wary of each other, neither initiating an attack.

The water snakes following the Snake King quickly swam up, surrounding it protectively.

Clearly, this wasn't the first time. This snake could protect its own Demon Morphing Fruit, thanks in no small part to its snake group.

This is nature.

In the struggle for the Demon Morphing Fruit, social animals always have an advantage over solitary ones. The nine days it takes for the Demon Morphing Fruit to grow can't be guarded by solitary animals.

If Su He hadn't intercepted it, the Demon Morphing Fruit in the small pond would have definitely belonged to the Wolf King, whose pack had over twenty wolves, capable of facing any threat.

Except for Old Six.

Su He and the Snake King quietly stared at each other, then slowly backed away at the same time, neither intending to fight. Both estimated each other's size and threat level, tacitly removing each other from their menu.

After retreating five or six meters, the Green Snake suddenly opened its mouth and spewed out a cloud of mist, instantly enveloping the snake group. Startled, Su He quickly dove underwater. Fighting snakes underwater is always more advantageous than on the surface.

Looking up from below, the Green Snake enveloped the snake group in thick fog, using the cover to quickly dive underwater and swim away.

It retreated after releasing a smoke screen.

A bit of intelligence, but not too much.

However, it could spew mist! Only Exotic Beasts and demons can master transcendent abilities. Swallowing clouds, spitting fire, summoning wind, attracting lightning...

Exotic Beasts can't transform into demons and have no interest in the Demon Morphing Fruit, often even resisting it. This Green Snake must be an ordinary snake that ate the Demon Morphing Fruit.

It had only eaten the fruit for a few days, and it already had a divine ability?

Why don't I have one?

Su He swam towards Listening Sea Lake, feeling indignant for himself.

After several days of heavy rain, the sky was finally clearing, and fish, shrimp, and crabs swam to the surface to breathe, occasionally encountering various species. Old crocodiles swam back and forth, hunting prey, stirring up countless splashes.

This area was originally Crocodile Beach.

Several crocodiles eyed Su He, eager to approach. But seeing his size, they hesitated.

Since the time he had slept, the aura of the Demon Morphing Fruit had faded considerably, and his body had grown much larger, making it difficult for the crocodiles to deal with him. If he were still the same as before, these old crocodiles would have rushed at him without hesitation.

Su He quietly paddled, looking for a place where he could settle long-term.

Wolves have packs, snakes have groups. Su He wanted to find a small island to see if he could tame a group of turtles. They wouldn't need to do anything else, even just serving as a warning while he slept would be excellent.

Some crocodiles, unwilling to give up, still wanted to cut open Su He and steal the Demon Morphing Fruit.

They followed closely.

Su He adjusted his pace, swimming forward at a steady speed. A few lotus flowers floated by on the water's surface, though battered and withered by wind and rain, they appeared to have once bloomed.

He had slept for too long; the lotus flowers had already blossomed.

The day he had agreed upon with the sloppy Old Taoist had arrived.

Su He swam towards the agreed-upon island, guided by memory.

The crocodiles following him finally couldn't hold back. The leading one suddenly accelerated, rushing towards Su He, its mouth wide open, aiming to bite his hind leg.

A stench filled the air, and Su He quickly retracted into his shell.

Crack!

The crocodile bit down on the serrated edge of the turtle shell, snapping two sharp teeth, its mind buzzing with confusion. Unsure of what to do, Su He turned and bit its front paw, pulling back and flipping it over.

Crack!

The entire paw was twisted and torn off.

Blood spread through the lake water. The bloody scene didn't scare off the other two crocodiles; instead, it provoked their ferocity, and they roared as they charged forward.

Su He quickly retracted into his shell, letting them gnaw on him, unmoving like a mountain.

After this sleep, his shell had become even harder. The crocodiles' bites sent shocks through his internal organs, causing pain, but the shell showed no signs of damage.

Bang!

A crocodile bit down on the shell, failing to crush it. Instead, it clamped down and launched Su He like a bullet, sending him crashing into another crocodile.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Su He bit the hind leg of this crocodile, pushing off its belly with his hind legs, tearing off a large piece of leg meat. At the same time, his hind claw dug into the crocodile's belly, splitting it open.

Its intestines spilled out through the opening.

The crocodile thrashed and struggled, its tail flinging Su He away. It didn't dare to pursue, instead fleeing with its tail wagging, bleeding profusely.

Two of the three crocodiles were gone.

The remaining crocodile no longer advanced, slowly swaying its tail as it quietly slipped away.

Su He stayed still in the water for a moment, calming his internal organs. Confirming that the three crocodiles had fled, a sense of pride welled up within him.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com".

The crocodiles couldn't do anything to him; there weren't many species in this lake that could threaten him now.

He raised his head high, swimming proudly towards the agreed-upon island.

After a heavy rain, Listening Sea Lake had completely changed its appearance, and the small island Su He remembered had mostly disappeared.

It took Su He an entire day to find the island, which was now just a bare hilltop isolated on the water's surface.

Su He circled the island, not seeing the sloppy Old Taoist, only finding a turtle statue submerged in the water, indicating that the Old Taoist had been there.

Su He had missed the appointment.

He lay beside the stone turtle, dazed for a while, finally smiling wryly. He gathered stones on the island and arranged them beside the stone turtle to form the image of an old Taoist drinking.

I came to keep the appointment, but I was late. We'll meet again if fate allows.

To gain is my fortune, to lose is my fate.

Having already consumed the Demon Morphing Fruit, opportunities for seeking the path will come naturally in the future, so there's no need to worry too much about gains and losses.

After two years as a turtle, Su He had learned to take gains and losses lightly. Especially as a young turtle, there was no need to be happy about finding food, as there might be predators lurking behind. Nor was there a need to be upset about prey escaping; it was better to quickly search for more food.

A beast that gets caught up in gains and losses can't survive.

Survival in the wild requires caution, and one must also learn to be carefree.

Outside the Qingyuan territory, in a special area, the sloppy Old Taoist, who was gnawing on a chicken butt with greasy lips, suddenly stopped and looked up: "Child, I think I made a mistake!"

The child was puzzled.

The Old Taoist looked somewhat serious: "If that Little Turtle has swallowed the Demon Morphing Fruit, the fruit contains a legacy suitable for it. If it hasn't eaten it, it should naturally follow the path of an Exotic Beast. The breathing method is not suitable for it in any case. I shouldn't have left that stone turtle."

Hopefully, the Little Turtle really missed the appointment. Or perhaps an earthquake, a volcanic eruption split the stone turtle? At the very least, a flood submerged it. The stone turtle is a breathing method, only useful in the wind; submerged in water, it's just an ordinary statue.

This special area was disconnected from the outside world, seemingly a unique space. The Old Taoist was unaware of the heavy rain in Qingyuan.

At this moment, Su He was feeling a bit excited. He was lucky; shortly after leaving the small island, he found a truly suitable "water mansion."

It was a broken pill furnace, with the pill chamber gone, leaving only a three-legged furnace overturned on the lakebed. The furnace body was rusted with a thick layer of rock-like material, with shellfish parasitizing it. Water plants swayed with the current around it.

This furnace was quite large, with a diameter of at least six meters.

By digging a "U"-shaped entrance at the lakebed and crawling into the pill furnace, blocking the entrance with pebbles, it became a good place for hibernation.

Su He decided to make his home here.

Cultivators seek nothing more than food, clothing, shelter, transportation, wealth, companions, methods, and land. Su He's requirements were even lower; as long as he had food and shelter, he was content. Now, all he longed for was a companion, hoping to tame a group of turtles to serve him.

This wasn't a task that could be accomplished in a day or two. The immediate concern was the food problem.

Having come to Listening Sea Lake, with fish, shrimp, and crabs everywhere, Su He found himself without a food source.

Perhaps due to the different living environment, the fish in Listening Sea Lake were more cunning, making it difficult for a turtle of Su He's size to snatch their food.

Generally, turtles as large as Su He use a "wait for a chance" hunting method, remaining motionless like a dead object, waiting for prey to pass by for a sudden attack.

But Su He needed to snatch and gamble, unable to use this method.

He missed the Giant Salamander a bit.

Su He crawled out of the pill furnace, swimming towards Crocodile Beach.

Given his size, even if he found the Giant Salamander, it wouldn't be suitable for teaming up with Su He.

Barring any surprises, the dining hall would have to move to Crocodile Beach.