The sounds of the vine-chewing creatures had gradually faded, though when, exactly, was hard to say. Number 12 and I finally let out the breath we’d been holding.

Just then, Number 2 slowly opened his eyes and asked us, "Are they gone?" I hesitated, stammering slightly, "Gone. It seems they’re gone!" Number 2 nodded, looking utterly exhausted.

"We owe my master again this time, or we would have been finished. Those Progenitor Beasts aren't ordinary creatures; they underwent a massive transformation—or perhaps an evolution—after consuming those strange flying fish." Hearing this, I quickly pressed him, "What exactly is going on?

What kind of change happened?" Number 2 looked tired, glancing at me before replying, "Do you know about the last great extinction event?" I nodded. "Earth faces a mass extinction roughly every million years.

It’s due to the planet’s own climate regulation, causing the Earth to fall into an ice age approximately every three million years. During those times, global temperatures plummet to extreme lows, and only about two or three percent of life manages to survive the intense cold.

Most life perishes. The most recent major extinction event, the last Ice Age, occurred about two million years ago—the era of the Woolly Mammoths and Saber-toothed Cats." Number 2 nodded.

"While I don't know as much as you do, I know mass extinctions are usually caused by severe cold. Even cold-hardy animals die out due to the widespread death of vegetation and the resulting food scarcity.

But it seems that’s not the whole story. Our ancestors, the Progenitor Beasts, appear to have discovered special methods for heating and food preservation." I frowned, asking, "What kind of methods?" Number 2 seemed to drift into thought again.

"I don't know how to describe it to you. Just follow me.

What I saw behind that wall—some of it is hard to explain clearly." With that, Number 2 formed another hand seal and began to chant softly. As his incantation resonated, the vine-like plants slowly retracted, gradually revealing the gaps in the snake skull that had been blocked.

We saw that the outside had fallen silent once more, but Number 2’s Karmic Fire was spent, leaving everything pitch black. Number 12 tentatively poked his neck out, peering around before nodding.

"They seem to have moved far away. I can’t feel the presence of any living thing." I used my Night Eyes to scout as well, and indeed, there was no fluctuation of mental energy detected.

Slowly rising and brushing the dust from my clothes, I said to Number 2, "So, if I understand you correctly, that wall doesn't just let animals out, but it actually connects to a time-space tunnel, and the other end leads to the Ice Age from the last extinction event?" Number 2 nodded. "That is likely the case." Then Number 12 interjected, "Didn't you say you were driven back when you approached the wall by the animals that escaped?

So how did you see what was behind it?" Number 2 answered without hesitation. "Because the wall was transparent—no, perhaps it’s better to say it flickered between transparent and hazy.

In any case, I saw things that defy explanation. Or perhaps those things actively entered my mind." I nodded.

"Alright, never mind the details. I have a rough idea now.

There are likely massive spatial rifts on the walls surrounding this tomb chamber. It's entirely possible those rifts lead to the Ice Age from millions of years ago, which is why Number 2 saw such strange phenomena.

Otherwise, how do you explain the presence of so many large animals, even flying ones, living within this cramped tomb chamber? Clearly, there is more than one such passage?" Number 2 affirmed, "Exactly.

And didn't you say the Terror Bird, the Pterodactyl, the Progenitor Beast, and the Tyrant Python all lived in different eras? If so, perhaps different time-space rifts connect to different periods." I agreed.

"That’s very likely true, but we won't know until we look for ourselves." Just as we were about to move, Number 12 asked again, "Right! You two, is this chamber the final structure of this ancient tomb?" I shook my head.

"I don't know. Why?" Number 12 said, "If this is the last section, then the Toad King we are supposed to fight might not be a subterranean creature, but an extra-dimensional being coming through these underground time-space rifts!" I understood his implication.

If this was the final area, the Toad King couldn't possibly be hiding here, or we would have encountered it already... Thinking of this, Number 2 and I exchanged a look, and our minds nearly exploded!

Almost simultaneously, we both exclaimed, "That all-black monster from earlier! Could that be the Toad King?" The more we considered it, the more certain we became.

The creature we just faced, whether judging by its size, movement, or features, resembled a toad that had cultivated a human form! However, if that entity truly was the Toad King, Number 2 and I felt a degree of confidence.

After all, the creature didn't seem overwhelmingly powerful; it fought me to a stalemate and then fled. Indeed, compared to the giant snake, this Toad King seemed significantly inferior.

But this was only speculation. If it was the Toad King, its true strength remained unknown.

With that thought, we instinctively scanned our surroundings, checking if the black shadow was still lurking nearby. The result, of course, was nothing.

The black silhouette had vanished without a trace. If it disappeared, it most likely fled into one of the time-space rifts.

It seemed this journey was mandatory now. With that resolved, we wasted no more time and walked directly toward the wall Number 2 had indicated.

Number 2 held up several balls of Karmic Fire in his palm for illumination. Furthermore, if anything unclean approached, the fire would serve as an early warning.

We soon reached the vicinity of the wall. Of course, the journey wasn't entirely smooth.

Occasionally, fresh skeletal remains of large animals appeared before us. These were the unfortunate souls who hadn't managed to escape in time and were completely devoured by the Progenitor Beasts.

Seeing these bones, still steaming faintly, was deeply shocking. When we finally stood before the wall, I immediately identified it: there was a colossal, perfectly elliptical time-space rift etched into the surface.

The rift looked exactly like a massive black eye without a sclera. Frankly, the appearance of this rift startled me, as its shape was clearly different from the naturally formed ones we had seen earlier.

This one seemed to have been artificially carved. The wall supporting the rift was constructed of black bricks and stones, identical to the ones outside, each bearing the pattern of a bird soaring beneath the sun and moon—a scene imbued with classical Chinese aesthetics.

In contrast, the time-space rift resembled a majestic, flawless portal, instantly bringing to mind the Southern Heavenly Gate from mythology. Besides me, the other two could not see the rift at all.

To them, it must have appeared as a solid, unbroken wall. So, Number 12 quickly tugged at my sleeve.

"What is it? What do you see?" As I turned to tell him what I saw, Number 2 interrupted, "It’s happening again!

That mysterious phenomenon is reappearing!" I looked back and saw a current of white vapor surging through the darkness of the black time-space rift, resembling a monstrous demon, baring its teeth and claws. However, I quickly realized it wasn't a demon, but rather snowflakes blown in by a hurricane.

The sheer force of the gale was enough to push the blizzard through the rift from the other side into ours. One could only imagine how terrible the weather was on the other side.

It made sense; if not for such ferocious storms, how could ninety percent of life have been wiped out? The gale brought not only a chilling cold that seized the heart but also a clear view of the landscape beyond the rift.

Through the swirling snow and wind, we could discern a city that appeared to be constructed entirely of ice. This city had its foundation in snow and ice, rising layer upon layer, reaching nearly a hundred stories high.

From a distance, each level looked to be about ten meters, meaning this immense citadel stood roughly a thousand meters tall, piercing the clouds. And within this tiered city, we could see faint specks of yellow light, like countless warm lamps, suggesting that countless families resided there.

I finally understood why Number 2 had spoken of unbelievable sights. To think such a magnificent city of crystal ice existed a million years ago was utterly baffling.

Such an unparalleled structure, soaring into the heavens, was nothing short of a divine miracle; no human could possibly have constructed a building like this. Everything before us could only be described as dreamlike or fantastical, entirely beyond the scope of human imagination.

The city was built with sharp angles and corners, standing firm against the snowstorm, radiating a magnificent presence that imposed a powerful pressure upon us. Just as Number 12 and I stared with our mouths agape, Number 2 spoke, "This city is not inhabited by people.

It is occupied by those Progenitor Beasts. I personally witnessed countless Progenitor Beasts crawling out of the city, chasing the animals on the ground." Hearing that, I gasped sharply.

After composing myself for a long moment, I said to the other two, "It seems our ancestors possessed a level of civilization beyond our comprehension. We must go and see this!

Even if we die, we cannot miss such a sight! Let’s go!" As I spoke with soaring enthusiasm, Number 2 held me back.

"If you walk out like this, you’ll be frozen solid in minutes. If you haven't figured out how to stay warm, I advise you not to act rashly.

The temperature outside could be around minus one hundred degrees Celsius."