Following method number two, I quickly incorporated my own temporary insights, drawing inspiration from an icicle to forge a cone shape composed entirely of psychic energy.

Crafting hammers was my forte, and soon enough, my complete set of Thor-like equipment was finished.

Next, under the watchful eyes of the other two, I began relentlessly smashing the ice surface with the invisible chisel in my hand.

The ice sheet rapidly cracked open with a vast fissure, then swiftly collapsed and disintegrated.

A flurry of ice shards danced, and once the raised dust and smoke slowly dissipated, the torso of the half-mammoth within the ice was exposed.

I hastily retracted the psychic chisel and hammer, moving forward with the other two to investigate.

It was then we observed that the mammoth’s size was clearly much smaller than what we had initially perceived from outside the ice layer.

The difference was likely due to the refraction caused by the ice, which had made it appear enormous earlier.

Yet, even reduced by half, there was still more than enough hide to fashion a decent fur cloak.

No sooner said than done, we utilized the iron rods, daggers, and other tools we possessed to clear the mammoth from the ice debris, laying its body flat upon the ground.

At this point, I examined the severed gashes on its body and noticed that the flesh and fur had frozen together, making immediate skinning an unrealistic prospect.

We were stuck; although fire had been explicitly ruled out by agreement, that seemed impossible to uphold now.

Furthermore, we could see the frozen meat was quite fresh, and none of us had ever tasted mammoth meat. Given how long it had been since we ate, coupled with the freezing cold environment, lighting a sizable fire suddenly seemed appealing...

The three of us exchanged glances, seemingly understanding each other’s thoughts perfectly.

Then, Number Two spoke, "As a devotee, I do not consume meat, and I have no objection if you choose to; however, let's find a location far from the spatial rift. If we start a fire here, and animals from that other world see it, unforeseen accidents might occur."

I raised both hands high in agreement, and Number Twelve chuckled, nodding vigorously.

Finally, the three of us lifted the woolly mammoth’s carcass and carried it toward a corner of the wall, distant from the spatial rift.

After walking about a hundred meters, we set the mammoth down.

My hands were painfully red from the cold, so I quickly rubbed them together.

Coincidentally, we had been struggling to find suitable kindling, but in this particular spot, some roots from an ancient tree were hanging down from the ceiling of the tomb chamber.

That ancient tree must have died long ago; thus, although the roots were still thick, they were utterly dry, yet not rotten—they showed signs of carbonization, making them incredibly rare and excellent, long-burning fuel.

I then performed my specialty of conjuring blades out of thin air, slicing down all the desiccated roots.

Next, with nimble precision, I chopped these roots into small, easily combustible pieces. Even Number Two praised my high comprehension and superior ability application.

Preening slightly while diligently working, we soon had a roaring fire going.

Fearing we might attract unwanted attention, the three of us huddled on the outside edge of the fire pit, using our bodies to shield the light—though we knew it was mostly self-deception.

Actually, when we first entered this chamber, we hadn't felt particularly cold, but ever since the blizzard began continuously drifting in from that spatial rift, we all perceived a distinct drop in temperature.

Perhaps it was proximity to that specific wall; regardless, we could clearly see our breath turning to white vapor with every word spoken.

Warming ourselves by the fire in such cold was certainly a pleasure. We were all tired from the preceding fight, making this rest perfectly timed.

Even though the appointed time for the duel between the Giant Serpent and the Toad King was fast approaching, all we could do now was snatch this moment of reprieve.

After sitting for a while and letting our bodies warm up, I returned to extract the Tiger-Striped Jiao and the ancestor of the Takin from the ice blocks.

Never mind that alligator skin is covered in scales; its water-and-fire-resistant nature is exceptionally valuable, and its insulation properties surpass even animal fur.

It’s just that the cost is prohibitively high, which is why few people wear garments made entirely of alligator hide.

This time, I managed to move both animal carcasses over by myself.

We placed the animals one by one just outside the perimeter of the fire, effectively surrounding the blaze.

To speed up the melting of the ice within the animals' blood, we stoked the fire higher.

Accompanied by the fierce flames, the frozen animal carcasses began emitting plumes of white smoke as their blood started to thaw slowly.

What followed was a terrifying sight: as the frozen blood melted, the congealed wounds began to look fresh again and started to bleed anew.

Smelling the rapidly intensifying scent of blood in the air, I frowned and said, "Perhaps we shouldn't wait for them to dry out completely? This smell is far too conspicuous."

Number Two nodded, clearly sharing my sentiment.

So, the three of us extinguished the flames together and then each grabbed a knife, setting to work individually.

Truthfully, skinning an animal completely without tearing the hide is no easy feat.

Especially for an amphibious creature like the Tiger-Striped Jiao, which has virtually no subcutaneous fat; its skin adheres tightly to the muscle, making the process extremely difficult.

Knowing this difficulty, our Number Two volunteered to skin the Tiger-Striped Jiao himself.

The moment he mounted the Jiao’s body, however, we witnessed an astonishing event.

The long-frozen Tiger-Striped Jiao suddenly snapped its eyes open with a swoosh, its tail and body beginning to thrash, its limbs straining to push itself up off the ground.

Number Two was equally startled, never imagining that this creature could survive in such frigid conditions.

Reflecting on it later, it wasn't entirely strange; being cold-blooded, surviving low temperatures wasn't unexpected. Modern frogs, for instance, offer several documented cases of being frozen solid in winter only to revive in spring.

And the perpetrator we had been suspecting—the one responsible for taking down the mammoth and the Takin—was very likely this very Jiao. It must have been frozen accidentally while hunting; hence, only it remained perfectly preserved, while its prey had one half-eaten and the other completely gutted.

It happened in a flash; the Tiger-Striped Jiao was an apex predator of ancient times, possessing powerfully muscled limbs, swift movement, immense bite force, and thick, tough hide for defense—a truly dangerous beast.

But Number Two wasn't foolish; without waiting for the ferocious animal to fully mobilize, he landed several heavy blows right on its forehead.

Number Two’s punches were no trifling matter; even from a distance, we heard the sharp crack-crack of bones breaking, and the Jiao immediately collapsed again, blood oozing from its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Most devotees abstain from taking life, but given the critical situation, Number Two had no other choice.

Besides, I reasoned, this creature was already long overdue for extinction; Number Two was merely sending it to where it belonged.

Despite this necessity, Number Two’s face was extremely pale. He murmured a Buddhist chant: "Amitabha, I suppose I have sent you on your way today; may the Buddha not hold it against me."

Without hesitation, he took his small knife and sliced an opening on the crown of the Jiao's head, then yanked hard, tearing the cut wide open.

What followed was a blur to me; I only saw him grip that opening, launch himself off the Jiao’s body in a powerful spring, soaring upward with the creature still attached.

Then, in what looked like an over-the-shoulder throw, he flicked the Jiao’s hide, and with a sharp rrrrrip, the entire skin peeled away cleanly.

The two of us watched, mouths agape, only to erupt in loud cheers after a moment.

Seeing us linger, Number Two shooed me away from the mammoth and declared, "My turn!"

Before I could protest, he pulled the mammoth beside him, went through a whirlwind of motion, and within seconds, half a perfectly intact piece of elephant hide lay before me.

Then Number Two moved toward the bewildered Number Twelve and, with the swiftness of a magic trick, peeled off the deer hide as well.

He laid the three skins together and sat before the fire, pulling out a needle, thread, and scissors from his pack.

Twelve and I were even more dumbfounded, exclaiming in unison, "No way?"

Number Two shot us a look, retorting, "What do you know? It’s completely normal for monks to sew their own clothes and make their own shoes. Not like you pampered only children."

We dared not speak further, instead sitting down next to him with an attitude of learning.

Before long, my mammoth hide was transformed into a thick vest, and the leftover material was pieced together into a simple pair of trousers, complete with an elastic waistband.

I couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship; it was nothing short of supernatural.

Wearing the garment made from the elephant hide, I found no discomfort; it was warm and fit perfectly. I even had an unexpected discovery.

He had used the fur from the elephant’s head to sew a hood onto the back, turning into a charmingly cute elephant head when worn.

As I was marveling at his skill, Number Twelve put on his own outfit, which was almost identical to mine, except his hood resembled a reindeer head.

Next, Number Two fashioned a leather vest, leather pants, and a leather cloak for himself.

Finally, using the head of the Tiger-Striped Jiao, he created a balaclava for himself.

Donning this ensemble, he looked exactly like the Jiao; the full coverage of scales made him look incredibly imposing.

The three of us looked at each other, and then burst into loud laughter because all three outfits were incredibly endearing and silly.

Although the clothes were suitable and aesthetically pleasing, they were certainly cumbersome for movement. Thus, we took them off and cut off a large chunk of mammoth meat, roasting it over the fire.

That fellow, Number Two, had even packed seasonings! Though not a complete set, they added color and flavor to the roasted meat.

Finally, persuaded by our encouragement, he reluctantly ate some of the meat.

Of course, this was only after I had seen him devour hot pot before, where he single-handedly finished all the duck intestines.

Therefore, I knew he consumed meat; he just preferred pretending to be a pure vegetarian in our current circle.

With our strength replenished, everything was ready. We donned our new garments again and prepared to cross the spatial rift to explore another world!