The Giant’s body crashed heavily onto something, causing a massive tremor that slammed me hard against the inner curve of its fingers. For a moment, my stomach churned, my vision swam, and I nearly vomited.

However, not long after this impact, a sound like a cracking or shattering noise echoed from outside—it seemed to be the sound of ice breaking apart.

Then, the Giant continued its descent with us, tumbling several times in the air before slamming back onto the ground with another heavy thud.

This time, it felt like a straight drop, so the force of the impact was tremendous. Everything went black, and I almost passed out.

It took a long time before I finally shook off the grogginess.

Just then, a ball of Ye Huo (Netherfire) nearby flared to life, revealing it was Number 2.

His expression was also grim; he had clearly been badly jarred by the fall.

He waved a hand toward me, checking if I was coherent.

I nodded in response, then moved my body, feeling aches everywhere.

I knew the Giant had tried its best to shield us. Even in that critical moment, it never clenched its fist tightly; if it had, we would all be nothing but pulp now.

Though we weren't pulp, there was certainly some mushiness involved. Number 12, lying behind us, already had a weaker constitution, and the ordeal seemed to have nearly cost him his life.

He lay on the ground like a dead pig, convulsing uncontrollably, clearly unable to get up.

Number 2 rushed over to check his condition, and I followed closely.

What we discovered was that he hadn't suffered any fatal wounds, only minor scrapes. He had likely passed out from shock due to the tumbling and impacts.

Number 2 breathed a puff of air onto his hand and then pinched Number 12’s Renzhong (philtrum).

After several strong pinches, he finally managed to catch his breath, sitting up abruptly.

But the first thing he did upon sitting up wasn't to gasp for air; it was to retch violently.

Seeing his massive vomiting, I suddenly recalled a joke Number 2 had made earlier while we were eating roasted mammoth meat.

He had said: "Eat up. It won't stay in your stomach long anyway; it’s all going to come back up."

I hadn't paid it much mind then, but now it seemed prophetic. Could it be that Number 2 had been using some kind of precognition when he made that joke?

In the end, Number 12 stopped caring where he was and simply purged everything he had eaten.

Thankfully, the intense cold had numbed our noses so we couldn't smell a thing; otherwise, that would have been another ordeal.

Unlike our numbness, the Giant seemed to sense the warm vomit, its hand moving slightly before beginning to slowly uncurl.

We immediately felt several beams of blue light shoot through the gaps between its fingers—a light that was intensely cold and mysterious.

The gazes of all three of us were drawn to the blue glow, and then we saw it, not far beyond the fingers: a massive, luminous blue crystal, about seven or eight meters in size, perfectly formed into a six-sided shape, standing perfectly regular.

Number 2 murmured to himself, "Is this the lighting equipment humans used in the era of the Randeng Shizu (First Ancestor of the Lamp-Bearer)?"

I looked closer and said, "It seems like natural light, not artificial."

Number 12 seemed to have recovered, stating, "That’s not important. We should go see what the Giant truly looks like. The three of us inexplicably owe it our lives."

I nodded; I was intensely curious about the Giant's appearance, its presence here, and its identity.

However, just as I was preparing to squeeze out, the Ye Huo in my hand suddenly shot up high.

Then, I saw a mass of black, swarming insects fly through the gap between the fingers, emitting a buzzing, grating sound.

Number 2’s expression shifted drastically. "No good! Those Rentouchong (Human-Headed Insects) seem to have followed us!"

Number 12 panicked instantly, asking, "What do we do! What do we do!"

Actually, I wasn’t that tense. The previous threat from these insects was exacerbated by standing on unstable ground where we couldn't properly use our abilities. But now, no matter how powerful the insects were, or even if they were covered in poison, it didn't matter. Neither Number 2 nor I were pushovers; dealing with a swarm of bugs was more than enough for us.

So, I told Number 12, "Don't panic. I will use my psychic power to condense a shield covering everything around us, and then Number 2 can find a way to knock all these annoying bugs down. Our odds of success are 90%."

Number 2 nodded. "Then make sure your shield holds, or I can release the green smoke as well."

I remembered the shapeable green smoke Number 2 had deployed before, and asked, "Doesn't that consume a lot of energy? Let’s skip it; save your ultimate move for later. This place we’ve arrived at might very well be the Toad King's lair. I have studied psychic shaping extensively now; you should trust me."

Number 2 pursed his lips. "Alright then, I trust you."

I nodded and said no more, using my fist as a base to generate a spherical layer of psychic energy, then urged them to move out.

After squeezing through the gap between the fingers, I immediately expanded the invisible psychic layer, enveloping the surrounding space.

Almost simultaneously, the insects spotted us, emitting high-pitched, unpleasant sounds from their mouths as they collectively dove down from above.

Seeing them mass together for a powerful strike, even my grandmother, who was watching over us, felt a pang of anxiety.

But when I saw them smash violently against the psychic layer and then slide harmlessly to the ground, I finally let out a sigh of relief.

Because their impact was so forceful and they hadn't detected the shield's presence, the insects suffered severe damage; many were instantly smashed to bits.

I smiled at Number 2 and said, "Looks like you won't need to lift a finger; they killed themselves by crashing into it."

As I spoke, I suddenly heard a sizzling sound (Ciji), and a drop of green fluid landed near my foot.

My heart chilled. I realized the green ichor expelled from the dead insects had melted a hole right through my psychic shield.

I hadn't anticipated that this acid would be so potent, capable of dissolving psychic energy, which existed beyond ordinary physical matter.

While I was stunned, the insects had already regrouped and were charging toward us once more.

With no other choice, I had to condense a new shield to defend against the assault.

This time, however, the insects had gotten smarter. As they neared the protective barrier, many stopped short and instead began spitting green fluid from their mouths instead of charging headlong.

I cursed, "Truly deserving of having human faces—their intelligence is infuriatingly high!"