Fen asked:

"Teacher, are you hungry?"

"No."

The Ice Witch drank her flower tea.

It had been a very, very long time since she last ate meat.

A teacher who would never feel hungry... Fen rubbed her little belly, which emitted gurgling sounds:

"Teacher, Qi should be cooking. If we wait outside for a bit, we can eat!"

After a big battle, they absolutely deserved a proper feast!

Eat? The Ice Witch frowned.

Although the Blackfin Crew had been defeated, food remained extremely scarce within the Great Sea Coffin.

In the Great Sea Coffin, hunger was the norm, even for monsters.

The Ice Witch asked:

"Is there enough food?"

Fen straightened her Flower Witch garments and replied:

"Don't worry, Teacher, there's definitely enough for you to eat your fill!"

Eat her fill... A faint glimmer flashed through the Ice Witch's cold eyes.

......

On the deck of the Ghost Ship.

"Qi, who built this ship of yours?"

Burry pressed his entire body against the cold deck, his eyes filled with affection.

This ship was absolutely amazing! In terms of craftsmanship and materials, it could completely be his wife!

"......"

Chen Qi looked speechlessly at Burry plastered against the deck.

He had almost forgotten that Burry was essentially a machinery-obsessed madman at heart.

Although the Ghost Ship's exterior appeared simple, its internal structure was extremely complex - within the 'wooden planks' lay incredibly intricate runes.

Chen Qi shook his hand and said:

"Alright, I'm going to sail the ship out of the ice field."

"Sail out of the ice field?"

Everyone resting on the deck was stunned.

Wasn't the ship stranded?

Under everyone's astonished gazes, Chen Qi had already snapped his fingers.

Activate!

In the captain's cabin, Water Spirit No.1 vigorously pushed the lever.

The newly upgraded Ghost Ship should now be called the Nethersea Ghost Ship!

Its power far surpassed that of ordinary vessels.

As long as the power was sufficient, sailing on an ice field still counted as sailing!

The engine roared!

The air around the ship seemed ignited by an invisible force, with emerald green flames soaring into the sky, coiling around the masts, deck, and even every rope!

Beneath the thousand-ton ship bottom, star-like runes emerged, and under the burning flames, the entire vessel seemed lifted by a giant hand, pulling it out from the ice field into a flying state!

The entire Nethersea Ghost Ship instantly burst into flames!

Nethersea Ghost Ship - Hover Mode!

Now, with the power of the Nether Sea Engine, the Ghost Ship possessed three basic modes: hovering, super speed, and barrier.

Chen Qi smiled faintly:

"Everyone, we're setting sail! Make sure to stand steady!"

Then, the massive Nethersea Ghost Ship soared into the air like an airship, gliding over the ice field and heading straight for the sea.

Just one minute later, Chen Qi snapped his fingers again, stopping the Ghost Ship.

Amid everyone's exclamations, the Nethersea Ghost Ship's green flames gradually extinguished.

Splash!

The entire Ghost Ship came to a smooth stop on the sea.

"This ghost fire ship is seriously cool."

Palu showed an envious expression. His supernatural vessel 'Paper Ship' could also achieve some flight capability, but its speed was completely incomparable to the Nethersea Ghost Ship's velocity.

The Nethersea Ghost Ship's movement was like a silent, speeding phantom.

"However, isn't this place a bit dangerous?"

Palu looked down, scanning the surrounding sea area.

Beneath the ship bottom, he heard the terrifying, fanatical cries of countless strange fish.

Countless pairs of crimson eyes emerged from the seabed, staring at them with fanatical intensity.

Chen Qi walked to the ship's edge, picked up his fishing rod, condensed supernatural bait, and casually cast his line:

"No, this is a great place to get food!"

The hook fell into the sea.

This time, Chen Qi neither caught a Coastal Apex Predator, nor the Lord of Condensation, nor any indescribably massive monster.

With a splash!

Using his exquisite technique, Chen Qi casually cast his line a few times and caught over fifty plump, enormous sea fish.

"Everyone, help process some of these fish. I'll go handle some ingredients."

After handing the fish to Palu, Chen Qi entered Fen's potion room and took out her spare potion cauldron to use as a soup pot.

In this snowy winter, nothing could be more delicious than a bowl of hot soup!

Pour water, use Flame Forging to light the boiler!

Then, Chen Qi took out the strange seasonings purchased from the Merchant's Coffin.

These peculiar seasonings could serve as equivalents to ginger slices, garlic cloves, pepper, and olive oil, while also replenishing missing spiritual energy.

Chen Qi didn't add excessive seasonings - the fish in this area were very plump. They just needed to remove the toxic internal organs and use Soul Seasoning to bring out the natural deliciousness of the meat itself to create excellent fish soup!

Workhorse Palu skillfully cut the sea fish's toxic parts and scales into large chunks, then used his precise supernatural abilities to remove all the fish bones.

"Palu, well done."

Chen Qi took the processed fish meat and sprinkled it into the pot in sequence.

Everyone gathered around the pot, unable to stop drooling.

Unlike Chen Qi, the Ice Demon Pirates couldn't obtain food through fishing.

Out at sea, they had long been starving to the point of exhaustion.

Chen Qi looked at everyone's extremely hungry expressions.

"Black Hunter, sir! Can I eat now?"

"Black Hunter, sir, I want just one sip of soup!"

Everyone pleaded.

It's not cooked yet... Chen Qi said with a smile:

"Don't rush. If there's not enough, I'll go fishing again."

If he hadn't caught enough fish, there might even have been conflict.

After a moment, Chen Qi used Soul Seasoning again, sprinkling it along with salt.

Gurgle! Gurgle!

As the salt was sprinkled, the fish's richness was completely unleashed. A rich meaty aroma wafted across the deck, stimulating everyone's appetite.

I have cooked supernatural sea fish soup... Chen Qi wiped the sweat from his forehead, stood up, and looked around.

At this moment, the Ice Witch and Fen also emerged from their room.

"Hum hum hum~"

Fen hummed a little tune, holding a small bowl, the little flower on her head excitedly swaying.

Chen Qi served Fen a bowl of fish soup and handed it to her:

"Eat more, don't go hungry."

"Thank you, Qi! Your soup is so delicious!"

Fen took the fish soup and drank it with an expression of pure enjoyment.

"Ice Witch?"

The Ice Witch crossed her arms and snorted coldly:

"Everyone else can eat first. I'm not hungry."

Hmm... Chen Qi thought for a moment and said:

"Alright everyone, let's eat."

Soon after, everyone gathered around the steaming potion cauldron, enjoying the rare peace and warmth.

Palu and Burry sat to Chen Qi's right, while Fen sat to his left.

Little Crow entered stealth mode and drank her fish soup.

Meanwhile, the Ice Witch, as the Witch Queen, sat cross-legged without hurry.

As an ascetic, she shouldn't indulge too much in delicious food... the Ice Witch thought to herself, taking a small sip of fish soup.

Instantly, a warm, meaty flavor burst on her tongue!

Delicious, so delicious, it feels even better than black tea! The Ice Witch's face turned bright red as she held her small spoon, unconsciously taking small sip after small sip.

She's eating so fast... Chen Qi also sat cross-legged, propping his face with his hand, and asked:

"So, Witch Lady? Does it suit your taste?"

Damn, not elegant enough... The Ice Witch's face flushed red as she pursed her lips and said:

"For this timing, it's quite acceptable."

Then, the Ice Witch asked curiously:

"By the way, how did you get so many sea fish?"

Chen Qi explained:

"Because of my natural talent, plus I've learned advanced fishing skills, catching food at sea isn't difficult for me."

"I see..."

A flicker of surprise passed through the Ice Witch's eyes.

She never expected that the most difficult food problem in the Great Sea Coffin could be solved so simply by Chen Qi.

Even she, in this frosty world, could only resist the boundless hunger through sheer endurance.

This Little Black Hair's cooking skills are pretty good, wait, Witch, oh Witch, you mustn't be tempted by mere food... The Ice Witch thought to herself while happily drinking the soup like a lazy little white cat.

So good~

At this moment, Palu asked a crucial question:

"Witch Lady, with things as they are, can each of us successfully clear the A-rank rift Great Sea Coffin?"

Clear an A-rank rift! After eating their fill, everyone suddenly showed excited expressions, looking excitedly at the Ice Witch and Black Hunter.

The Great Sea Coffin's difficulty was extremely high. Unless they found a hidden exit or possessed special items, they had to stay for fifteen full days to leave the rift and receive rewards!

And for each additional day stayed, the rewards would greatly increase!

If they could stay for eighteen days, they could almost guarantee that everyone would receive at least C-rank evaluation rewards!

The C-rank evaluation rewards from an A-rank rift far surpassed those from ordinary rifts!

This would be an unimaginably huge reward!

Back when they entered the Witch's Coffin, everyone had already prepared for eighty percent casualties, let alone the unrealistic fantasy of everyone successfully leaving the Witch's Coffin!

Currently, including the Blackfin Crew captives, they totaled up to seventy people!

Seventy people clearing an A-rank rift - this could truly be called a miracle rarely seen in the world!

And the combined clearance rewards for seventy people would make not just the Witch Sea, but adventurers and merchants across the entire ocean, covetous!

In other words, as long as they could successfully leave the Witch Sea, they would complete a treasure-hunting journey that would shock the world!

Of course, there were still two key challenges remaining.

First, the food problem - they needed to ensure enough food to feed everyone on the entire ship.

Second, powerful monsters - the longer they stayed, the stronger the attracted monsters would become.

By then, they were highly likely to encounter saint-level monsters!

At this point, Palu asked again:

"Qi, can the food supply last for eighteen days?"

If the sea fish aren't enough to eat, I can fish up a Lord of Condensation for you... Chen Qi answered quite casually:

"There are absolutely no problems with the food supply."

Everyone's eyes gleamed with golden light - they vaguely saw an incredibly thick pillar!

Undoubtedly, that was Black Hunter's mighty leg!

High combat power and excellent cooking skills!

For a moment, the Ice Demon Pirates felt that their captain Palu - who could cross-dress, achieve combat highs, and never abandon his crew - wasn't as appealing anymore!

If Captain Palu weren't still present, the Ice Demon Pirates crew would have wished to hug Chen Qi's leg on the spot, kissed it a hundred times, and sworn loyalty!

So confident? The Ice Witch couldn't help feeling shocked internally.

Palu, having received confirmation, turned and asked:

"Witch Lady, can you handle the monsters attracted after eighteen days?"

The Ice Witch froze for a moment, her hand holding the fish soup trembling uncontrollably.

She hesitated, could it be that she wasn't capable... Chen Qi thought.

If what he saw in the time freeze wasn't an illusion, then the current Ice Witch was actually pushing herself hard!

Although she was powerful, if facing saint-level monsters, she would probably still struggle.

Chen Qi cleared his throat, preparing to help the Ice Witch decline.

However, the Ice Witch merely elegantly drank a sip of fish soup, didn't answer, and just smiled faintly:

"Hmm~"

Seeing this, Burry suddenly slapped his captain:

"Captain Palu, that's extremely rude!"

"Your question is questioning the Witch Lady's capability?"

"How could mere saint-level monsters threaten the Ice Witch?"

Palu looked up, confused at everyone.

He saw everyone giving him looks as if he were an idiot.

Immediately, Palu realized his disrespect.

That was the strongest witch who had effortlessly consumed the black whale blood of the Azure Beast!

A witch who had once reached demigod level, having experienced countless eras and witnessed endless history.

And he had actually questioned the Ice Witch's power!

The Ice Witch could easily annihilate fifth-tier monsters with one hand drinking black tea and the other reading a book!

Palu said softly:

"My deepest apologies, Witch Lady..."

"......"

Everyone thinks the Ice Witch is invincible... Chen Qi looked helplessly at the Ice Witch.

He saw the Ice Witch's hand holding the fish soup trembling even more violently.

Is she really capable? Chen Qi's soul questioned internally.

Meanwhile, Palu, having been rebuked, also looked at the Ice Witch, quietly awaiting her response.

At his level, he completely couldn't see through the Ice Witch's true strength.

However, judging purely from the spiritual energy field, the current Ice Witch only had legendary peak level.

Ice Witch... Chen Qi answered for the Ice Witch:

"The Witch needs rest, she might not be able to guarantee each of you..."

"No~"

At this moment, the Ice Witch, who had been silent for a long time, quietly raised her head, her eyes filled with confidence.

How could the strongest Witch Queen say she wasn't capable?

Even Little Black Hair said he could do it!

Then, the Ice Witch put down her fish soup, propped her chin with her hand, and said lightly:

"If it's just small monsters from fifteen days, for me."

"It's effortless."

Instantly, all the crew members on the deck showed astonished expressions.

Fifth-tier monsters in this world were already titan-level terrifying existences, kings among kings!

Yet such powerful rulers were merely small monsters in the Ice Witch's eyes!

Huh? Chen Qi was stunned for a moment, carefully looking at the Ice Witch.

He noticed that after saying this, the Ice Witch's hands trembled even more violently.

However, aside from him, no one paid attention to these subtle tremors.

But in Chen Qi's view, this was nervousness.

Ice Witch, are you really not just putting up a brave front?

Chen Qi drank a sip of fish soup and said politely:

"Witch Lady, if you need our help with anything, you can tell us anytime."

Fen also chimed in - in her view, her teacher's physical condition wasn't optimal either:

"Yes, Teacher, if you can't handle it, you can ask Qi for help with some battles."

I can't handle it? Ask Little Black Hair for help!

Fen, what are you saying?

"Hmph!"

The Ice Witch closed her eyes and snorted coldly.

Then, she slowly opened her crimson pupils and smiled arrogantly:

"Everyone, rest assured. Although I'm seriously injured, whether it's the Azure Beast or the legendary Lord of Condensation..."

"For me, anything below sixth tier is merely an ant."

All are ants!

Everyone's expressions changed again.

The Ice Witch's voice wasn't loud, but her words echoed like continuously ringing bells in everyone's hearts!

Saint-level monsters are all ants... The more everyone pondered this, the more they felt the Ice Witch's power was unfathomably deep.

Under everyone's astonished gazes, the Ice Witch put down her finished fish soup and looked confidently at Chen Qi and Fen:

"No need to worry, we will protect you."

And just at that moment, the excited Little Crow interjected:

"Um, Witch Lady, what if a fifth-tier monster came right now?"

Huh? Right now? The Ice Witch looked at Little Crow, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes.

Wait, Little Crow's crow mouth... Chen Qi froze for a moment, quickly looking up to search for enemy presence!

Then, in the vast white sky, a pair of dragon eyes containing infinite ambition stared down at them.

These pupils were!

The major boss from the first half of the Great Sea Coffin, second only to the Lord of Condensation - the Blizzard Dragon King!

The Blizzard Dragon King hid within the vast pale sky, like an impending blizzard storm - the sky's sovereign looking down upon them!

The embodiment of catastrophic blizzards, a terrifying fifth-tier existence, the apex predator of the ice field food chain, the dragon king who had slain countless heroes!

A spiritual energy field like a storm gathered in the sky!

They had already become the Blizzard Dragon King's hunting targets!

The Ice Witch also slowly looked up, instinctively shedding a drop of cold sweat.

She gazed at those dragon eyes, gently biting her lip.

It really came...

Under everyone's terrified gazes, the Ice Witch poured herself a cup of freshly brewed hot tea and said calmly:

"No need to worry."