Chapter Forty-One: The Giant Will Stand Upon the Earth

“Ha ha ha!”

Clusters of fireballs blossomed in the air, like plum flowers adorning the sky.

Mosquitoes the size of a palm were burned to ashes, their remains scattered midair.

The mouthparts of these mosquitoes were at least ten centimeters long, as thick as a little finger, gleaming with a metallic sheen, resembling the needle meant for piercing an elephant. One jab, one draw, and half a body’s blood would surely be drained.

So Luozu didn’t hesitate; he directly wielded his fire-controlling Daoist art, not launching a single blast of fire, but releasing countless fireballs to blanket the sky, transforming the swarming mosquito horde into a dazzling fireworks display.

In the blink of an eye, the once oppressive swarm vanished, and disappeared so beautifully.

Yet the commotion was immense; the sound echoed ten miles away, and the black smoke rising from the burning mosquito bodies billowed like a haze.

But no one cared at this moment, for the enemy was not just the mosquito swarm—there was a horde of green-headed giant flies, a group of bear-faced golden beetles, a legion of dual-bladed mantises, and also hornets, moths, grasshoppers…

“What the hell?! What nest did you poke?!” Luozu was dumbfounded, wondering how he ended up entangled with such a crowd.

Unfortunately, his words were like chickens talking to ducks—the others didn’t understand his language at all.

Still, the expression on Luozu’s face betrayed his feelings.

The leader of the human team merely smiled, then swung her massive bone club and hurled it.

Boom!

Rumble!

Instantly, the ground beneath their feet shook violently.

A charging bear-faced golden beetle, towering as a man and horse, was struck by the club, splattering green juice and golden armor, dying on the spot.

Looking again at the woman, her body had grown to seven feet tall, transformed into a giant, her previously awkwardly large bone club now seeming perfectly suited.

She laughed wildly, swinging her bone club relentlessly. With every blow, several bear-faced golden beetles were smashed into pulp; the green-headed flies were not spared either, nor were the other monstrous insect swarms, which, facing her violent onslaught, faltered then surged toward her.

With each kill, her stature continued to rise—inch by inch, foot by foot. At this rate, she would soon reach twenty feet, as tall as a two-story building.

Luozu’s tribesmen were stunned. Was this woman really so fierce?

She was simply… Even more desirable.

In this era, it wasn’t just mighty men who attracted mighty men; fierce women also drew them in…

“What are you staring at?! Charge with me!” Luozu shouted.

These insects had to be slain here, or this forest would forever become a deadly land, forcing the “Cave Dwellers” to migrate.

“Charge!”

The team didn’t shout any unified slogan, but their weapons were already swinging, their innate powers ready. Upon contact with the enemy, they unleashed a slaughter.

Luozu acted simply. His door-sized great sword, Giant Severance, moved with his spiritual guidance. A strand of his mind anchored within, channeling a portion of his true energy for propulsion, then—whoosh!

Flying sword, go!

The only flaw was Giant Severance’s weight. For now, it relied entirely on brute force and true energy, achieving only the speed of a sprinting cheetah.

But its heft, durability, and sharpness, plus its speed, made it a superb weapon for group battles.

Boom boom boom!

Fire erupted from the tail of Giant Severance—Luozu’s fire-controlling Daoist art combusted within, providing ample thrust.

The sword swept across, clearing all sides. Suddenly, rain fell beneath the trees—green rain, red rain, and earth-colored rain. The colors mingled, soaking the ground, dizzying all who watched.

But this was no time to faint. Everyone’s gaze was blocked by the endless insect swarm, and their blades had already met the enemy.

Swift blades cut through chaos, clanging incessantly.

Ironhead, reckless and fearless, raised his twin stone axes, hacking left and right, plunging into the dense forest and stirring up a mess of insect shells and flesh.

The others’ powers bloomed in the woods—earth spikes, wind blades, fireballs, jets of water—the most common abilities in the field. There were also mind control and sonic disruption, invisible to the eye.

Sometimes, a rebel would emerge from the insect swarm, turning its weapons on its own kin.

Looking at the woman’s team, they were already on the verge of collapse, suffering the earliest casualties: a woman with a broken arm had her head bitten off by a bear-faced golden beetle; a short-legged man was sliced into three pieces by a dual-bladed mantis, his head flying, viscera spilling everywhere—a scene both terrifying and brutal.

Their leader had now grown to thirty feet tall, her bone club expanding and thickening with her increased height.

This was no bone club; it was the mini youth version of the Golden Staff of Wishes.

Luozu glanced in surprise, but soon focused on protecting his own people. Injuries were inevitable, but death must be avoided.

He raised his hand, unleashing another fire-controlling explosion in the densest part of the insect swarm, causing a violent blast that covered a hundred feet of forest and ignited the surrounding deadwood and leaves.

Setting the forest ablaze was Luozu’s intent.

He had already ignited fifteen separate fires, and when the wind picked up, the entire woods would become a sea of flames. Then he and the hunting team would wait outside the fire, picking off any surviving insects—slaying one after another, roasting them for the feast.

Today, the “Cave Dwellers” could host a grand insect banquet.

Luozu joined the fray. His slaughter began even before touching the swarm, but now his prowess astonished all.

It was not just skill—like the woman, he relied on overwhelming force.

Luozu uprooted a hundred-foot old cypress, wielded it, and thrust it skyward in a sweeping motion.

Crash!

The giant moths, scattering powder overhead, were swept away.

This powder was not deadly poison, but it made one’s skin itch uncontrollably. So Luozu shouted for his tribesmen to shake their true energy, forming an aura shield around their bodies to block the powder and resist some attacks—though it consumed much energy.

The hunting team had refined their essence and transformed it into energy, but their reserves were limited. Such shields could only last a minute or two, and their true energy was precious, needed to maintain strength and unleash powers.

So Luozu, upon entering, first cleared the moths.

He conjured a gust of wind, blowing their powder high, then detonated it.

Boom!

A primordial dust explosion erupted, ignited by Luozu’s combination of two spells.