Time began to solidify once again, a faint blue hue washing over the world.

Chen Qi's body stiffened with an indescribable rigidity, and unless he used brute force to break through, even he couldn't move within this frozen domain.

The same move, and she could use it a third time!

Chen Qi stared at the Ice Witch's haughtily raised rear end, unable to find words to describe his current mood.

"......"

The Ice Witch's face had hit the ground, a trickle of blood seeping from her nose. Her usually aloof crimson eyes were filled with utter despair.

Then, for some reason, the Ice Witch suddenly turned her head and shot Chen Qi a resentful glare!

That look seemed to say, "It's all your fault I fell!"

"......"

Chen Qi was dumbfounded.

He was the only one who had kindly warned the Ice Witch to be careful about slipping!

Yet she was looking at him like that.

This was largely due to the Ice Witch's own carelessness.

Even though the ground was clearly slippery, she refused to lower her head and watch where she was walking.

Of course, there was another key reason.

The Ice Witch was simply too hungry. Having been dormant in the Witch's Coffin for over a decade, her body was visibly slender and frail.

"Ahem, ahem..."

The Ice Witch rose weakly, muttering:

"That wretched Fen, she didn't even think to bring me any food. According to fate, you were supposed to bring me a feast."

"So hungry! So hungry! So hungry!"

As she spoke, the Ice Witch's stomach growled loudly. Tears of grievance welled in the corners of her eyes as she bit her lip in frustration.

The Ice Witch glanced at the frozen Fen, whose gaze was currently fixed on Chen Qi.

Her dear teacher had just fallen, and this wretched Fen was still looking at someone else!

"That wretched Fen."

The Ice Witch cursed again, then carefully wiped the blood from her nose.

Struggling with her weakened body, she stood up again and resumed her previous pose.

Is she really that hungry? Chen Qi was momentarily stunned.

The Ice Witch woke up with no food—that wasn't Fen's fault, because he was the one in charge of meals!

After repositioning herself, the Ice Witch's aggrieved expression swiftly transformed back into her composed, icy demeanor in the blink of an eye.

Five seconds later, time began flowing once more!

The Ice Witch lifted her chin slightly, walking past Chen Qi with detached coolness:

"Thank you for the warning, but such reminders are meaningless."

The Ice Witch kept her head held high.

"......"

There were too many things to complain about, and Chen Qi had no energy left to comment.

Then, the witch stopped and looked toward the pirates on the Ghost Ship, a white magic circle beginning to form in her hand.

At that moment, a Blackfin Crew pirate on the Ghost Ship, gripped by fear, shouted loudly:

"Great Witch, I beg you, spare me! I'm willing to repent! I have sinned!

I shouldn't have... shouldn't have killed my beloved brother and his daughter for my own selfish desires, for her beauty..."

Instead of fleeing, this pirate knelt, tears streaming down his face!

"I shouldn't have kidnapped little girls from the industrial district for money and sold them to the Merchants..."

Legend said that if one sincerely confessed their sins, they could earn the Ice Witch's forgiveness!

The Ice Witch's crimson eyes fell upon the pirate.

A chilling spiritual energy gradually enveloped his body.

The Ice Witch said calmly:

"I have felt your repentance..."

The pirate's eyes filled with hope:

"Thank you, Great Witch, I... I will spend my entire life repenting..."

Then, the Ice Witch continued:

"Death will guide you to meet the goddess, and the Sea Goddess will forgive your sins."

Death? Goddess? The kneeling, repentant pirate was stunned, and then ice marks began rapidly spreading across his face.

No!

The pleading pirate on the Ghost Ship instantly turned into an ice sculpture, his despairing eyes becoming his final expression before death.

Then, the Ice Witch flicked her fingers lightly.

The ice sculpture shattered instantly!

A third-tier pirate expert who once had the potential to become a supernova was thus extinguished!

"Utterly foolish..."

The Black Death Doctor took a deep breath and looked toward Little Crow.

People of this era had forgotten the terror of the Ice Witch.

Legends said that the Flower Witch had turned entire corrupted armies into fertilizer to exterminate them.

And the Ice Witch, in legends, had annihilated countless pirates and Deep Sea Monsters!

The Ice Witch would indeed forgive people, but that only applied to the many enslaved pitiful souls, not to pirates like them who dominated regions.

Facing them, her "forgiveness" would only send them to heaven to meet the goddess!

The terrifying pressure from a fifth-tier powerhouse! Someone this powerful—even if their entire Blackfin Crew fought with everything they had, they couldn't possibly win!

"Run! Run away!"

"Spare me, Great Witch, I'm willing to lick your feet, be your chair!"

"Spare me, mighty Witch, I'll be your dog for life!"

"I'm willing to be the Black Hunter's dog forever! Woof woof woof woof!"

Several spineless pirates lost all fighting spirit, kneeling on the ground begging for mercy.

The immense power gap caused boundless panic to spread rapidly among the pirates.

The pirates scattered like startled beasts.

He had to use his final trump card! The Black Death Doctor anxiously pulled a card from his Backpack Card.

This card featured typical tarot-style artwork, depicting a petite golden-haired woman.

The woman held a lamp, and beside her stood a white pigeon larger than a person.

Similar to the Lamp Bearer Apostles of the Witch Sea, this card depicted a minor deity from the White Tower Sea—the White Pigeon Messenger.

Legend said this petite being controlled all mail across the seas. By praying to her and offering world secrets, one could exchange for a chance at survival.

Rumors claimed this deity's power allowed people to ignore many rift tier restrictions and travel freely.

And this card was a divine artifact obtained by the great Whale Father when he achieved the supreme S-rank evaluation in an A-rank rift!

It could allow one person, whether trapped in a rift or a desperate situation, to escape freely!

This was the trump card the Whale Father had bestowed upon the Black Death Doctor for protection. The entire Blackfin Crew possessed only this single card!

"Whale Father, I have failed you..."

The Black Death Doctor shed two streams of black tears, gritting his teeth tightly.

In this operation, he had neither captured the Black Hunter and the witch, nor prevented the Ice Witch's resurrection!

Moreover, this mission had cost them General Carol and a precious vial of true black whale blood!

The Azure Beast's relics, Carol's relics, and the numerous treasures aboard their Blackfin Crew ships—all would fall to the Black Hunter, to the witch!

A complete and utter defeat...

The Black Death Doctor was filled with regret. Finally, he looked unwillingly toward Little Crow beside him.

Little Crow was their last remaining hope now.

The Black Death Doctor could sense Little Crow's potential.

Finally, the Black Death Doctor handed a Backpack Card filled with advancement resources to Little Crow, murmuring:

"Doctor Crow, may you survive. The Blackfin Crew awaits your return..."

Little Crow frowned but didn't refute, giving a faint nod.

When she had been injected with the Black Death Poison, it meant that as long as she lived, she could never escape the Blackfin Crew's control!

Whenever the Blackfin Crew wanted, she would eventually return to them one day.

She could never gain Chen Qi's trust like the witches could...

Little Crow bit her lip unwillingly, an unprecedented wave of inferiority washing over her.

After speaking, the Black Death Doctor forcefully channeled spiritual energy, activating the White Pigeon Messenger Card!

"Great White Pigeon Messenger, I devoutly request you, take me away from this frigid Great Sea Coffin!!"

Instantly, the card magically transformed into countless white pigeons surrounding the Black Death Doctor.

Crack!

The power of the White Pigeon Messenger! The Ice Witch flicked her fingers, attempting to stop the Black Death Doctor's escape!

Time froze once more!

However, the frozen pigeons all turned their eyes to stare at the Ice Witch!

Their eyes were like those of heavenly deities—devoid of emotion yet containing infinite power.

The Ice Witch immediately felt a powerful force resisting her temporal freeze!

Having just revived, she was simply too weak, too feeble.

At her current tier, she simply couldn't stop the card's power.

Time began flowing again!

The pigeons' tiny bird feet grabbed onto the Black Death Doctor's flesh, and then a rift rapidly opened.

Amid the roaring sound of tearing space, the pigeons carried the Black Death Doctor through the rift, completely vanishing from this Great Sea Coffin.

"......"

The Ice Witch didn't pursue further, stopping in her tracks and frowning—a rare expression for her.

Chen Qi watched the escaping Black Death Doctor.

He wasn't particularly surprised. Although the Black Death Doctor was only fourth-tier, the Whale Father had invested heavily in him.

Capturing the Black Death Doctor would require an extremely meticulous plan.

Without the White Pigeon Messenger Card, the Black Death Doctor would probably never show his face again for the rest of his life... Chen Qi thought to himself.

With yet another 'commander' gone, the Blackfin Crew forces quickly fell apart.

The smell of gunpowder in the air gradually dissipated.

In the end, the Ice Demon Pirates seized this opportunity to capture all hundred members of the Blackfin Crew!

Chen Qi also took the chance to kick the grounded Carol, then tied her up securely and casually tossed her onto the ship.

Ten minutes later, all the Blackfin Crew pirates had been captured, leaving only a few prisoners for intelligence gathering.

Next came tending to the wounded and dividing the spoils.

As the person in charge of this major operation, Chen Qi began handling the injured.

Chen Qi walked up to the barely breathing Palu, took out a freshly made healing potion, and poured it down Palu's throat:

"Master of Disguise? Are you okay?"

Chen Qi asked with concern.

Without Palu, their mission to resurrect the Ice Witch wouldn't have been this straightforward.

Master of Disguise? The extremely weak Palu gasped for air, his heartbeat slowly returning to normal:

"Huff, huff, huff..."

He struggled to support his body, standing up with difficulty, and looked toward the Ice Witch beside the Flower Witch:

"I'm fine. How is the Ice Witch?"

Palu gazed at the Ice Witch's white hair, unable to look away for a long time.

When he was young, he had personally witnessed the Ice Witch's back figure. She had single-handedly repelled the deep-sea titan Twelve-Tentacles!

After countless hardships, their Ice Demon Pirates had finally met the legendary witch.

The Ice Witch's long hair danced in the wind, faint snowflakes drifting around her.

Palu looked at the Ice Witch, his eyes filled with reverence:

"Just as I imagined, the Ice Witch is powerful and elegant at all times."

Palu had witnessed from the ground how the Ice Witch defeated the Azure Beast effortlessly without a single scratch!

Palu spat out a mouthful of congested blood, continuing:

"You know what? Black Hunter, according to my intelligence, even fifth-tier powerhouses only possess third-tier strength after reviving in the Witch's Coffin...

Yet the Ice Witch can still maintain her legendary elegance after revival. This shows just how powerful she is..."

Elegant... Chen Qi remained silent, simply patting Palu's shoulder quietly.

Although the Ice Witch's image had somewhat collapsed in his mind.

In everyone else's eyes, the Ice Witch remained a goddess-like presence!

At that moment, Fen trotted briskly over to Chen Qi:

"Qi! Teacher says, after we've finished counting everyone and confirmed no crew members are missing, we should gather on the ship!"

The little yellow flowers on Fen's head swayed back and forth, showing her exceptional happiness.

The only thing troubling Fen right now was that, for some reason, Chen Qi hadn't gained her teacher's approval!

It must be because of Chen Qi's deep sea affinity... Fen secretly resolved to properly demonstrate Chen Qi's virtues to her teacher, to make her teacher understand how good Chen Qi was!

Fen whispered:

"Qi, later, teacher will give you a reward privately, secretly~"

"???"

A reward? Chen Qi looked puzzled.

If not for the Ice Witch's disgusted look during the time freeze period, Chen Qi thought she would have properly rewarded him...

But now, Chen Qi could only think:

Is the witch really not planning to interrogate me privately?

A reward... The weakened Palu overheard this, his eyes filled with envy:

"Legend says the Ice Witch grants people's wishes, like fulfilling a desire or answering a question.

I've always had an unsolved mystery in my heart that I wanted to ask the Ice Witch!

Qi, I'm so envious, you get to receive the Ice Witch's reward!"

Palu let out a long sigh. Unfortunately, in this battle, he had only played a supporting role.

"Is that so..."

After finishing the headcount of the wounded, Chen Qi suddenly heard a dragon's roar.

In the distance, the Blizzard Dragon King drifted among thick clouds, its Dragon Eyes fixed intently on them.

More precisely, fixed on those of them who were fourth-tier and above!

For the Dragon King, there was no food more delicious than Transcendents.

The rift hadn't ended yet;

they had to survive enough days within the rift.

However, with the Ice Witch here, there wasn't much to worry about... After handling matters, Chen Qi boarded his ship.

...

On the deck of the new ship, the Ice Witch sat on a wooden chair, legs crossed, swaying the flower tea in her hand.

The Ice Demon Pirates and Little Crow sat on the deck, looking utterly obedient, awaiting the witch's instructions!

Now, the Ice Witch was undoubtedly their guiding star, their great master!

Everyone except Chen Qi had been completely conquered by the Ice Witch's elegant posture and powerful strength!

Fen stood beside the Ice Witch, asking:

"Teacher, are you hungry? Qi's cooking is excellent, and we still have some ingredients!"

Fen planned to have Chen Qi win her teacher's acceptance through his culinary skills.

The Ice Witch said calmly:

"Not needed for now. I'm not hungry, and besides, I have more important matters to attend to now."

Not hungry? Chen Qi thought back to the Ice Witch's tearful voice earlier, his mouth twitching.

He was starting to understand who Fen had learned her tsundere behavior from.

Everyone quietly awaited the Ice Witch's instructions.

Then, in front of everyone, the Ice Witch took a sip of her flower tea, a faint smile curling at the corners of her mouth as she murmured:

"Qi, come to my room with me."

"???"