Why is he throwing it at me? The Ice Witch looked up, her crimson eyes meeting bloodshot red pupils!

Their gazes intersected, and in that instant, the Ice Witch felt an intense killing intent!

Wait, could he be doing this on purpose?

A flicker of doubt crossed the Ice Witch's mind.

But immediately, her intelligent mind grasped everything.

The Black Hunter couldn't possibly be doing this intentionally - it was for the greater good!

This strike could also eliminate those berserk snow dragons and protect some of the crew.

Secondly, on this vast ocean, there was no sharper, harder substance than the Nethersea Ghost Ship.

If they needed a 'wall' to violently strike the Dragon King, the Nethersea Ghost Ship was undoubtedly the most suitable wall!

This guy's mind remains quite clear even in berserk mode... the Ice Witch thought to herself.

However, did he overlook one crucial factor?

I'm still at the ship's bow! The Ice Witch's eyes rapidly scanned her surroundings.

In that brief moment, everyone instinctively kept their distance, completely ignoring her presence.

And she was positioned right at the center of the attack!

After all, she was the elegant Ice Witch.

How could an elegant witch possibly get injured?

Boom!

The shockwave from the battle between the Blizzard Dragon King and Chen Qi came crashing down.

Click!

At the final moment, the Ice Witch snapped her fingers, activating time stop.

Whoosh!

A dynamic statue of hunter battling dragon froze directly above her head.

The Dragon King's blood-stained head stopped just one centimeter away from her.

"That was close..."

"As expected of me!"

The Ice Witch wiped away a cold sweat drop, a smirk curling at the corner of her mouth.

She had almost been hit.

The Ice Witch wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

"Damn you, Little Black Hair! Couldn't you have warned me first!"

The Ice Witch frowned, raising her right hand high and giving Chen Qi a massive middle finger.

Why does it feel like he's glaring at me? The Ice Witch paused momentarily.

She shook her head, adjusted her position, elegantly moved to the ship's edge, then snapped her fingers again.

Click!

As the Ice Witch's silver-white hair fluttered, time resumed its flow.

Crash!

The Blizzard Dragon King's massive body slammed into the sharp ship bow, crimson dragon scales scattering everywhere.

In that instant, the Blizzard Dragon King landed back-first, limbs splayed, its vulnerable white belly completely exposed to view!

This proud dragon king who ruled the ice plains stared with bewildered agony, unleashing a maddened howl of pain.

Yet facing the white dragon king's mournful cry, the terrifying crimson in Chen Qi's eyes didn't diminish - instead, it grew more intense with pleasure.

"Come at me again!"

"More, more!"

"More more more!"

Ignoring his body's protests, Chen Qi's eight twenty-meter tentacles condensed into razor-sharp spears, gathering hardened blade energy that rained down like a dense storm upon the Blizzard Dragon King's chest!

The dragon king's heart in its chest was its vulnerable spot!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The entire ship trembled amidst the shattering explosions, continuously roaring.

This guy's fighting style... the Ice Witch struggled to maintain her elegant posture at the ship's edge.

This was her first time seeing Chen Qi fighting at full strength.

A dragon king was being pinned to the ground and brutally thrashed like some pitiful creature from the Goldenfinch Kingdom.

For a saint-level dragon king, this was truly humiliating, completely unworthy of a fifth-tier monster's strength... A faint smirk curved the Ice Witch's lips.

However, before she could fully analyze Chen Qi's fighting style...

Whoosh!

Suddenly, an ice scale grazed past her face.

The Blizzard Dragon King's chest heaved like a boiler, erupting with unprecedented dazzling white light, endless waves of frigid energy pouring from its chest!

Final energy reserves!

The Blizzard Dragon King gnashed its dragon teeth, using all its strength to break free from the Black Hunter's bindings!

And Chen Qi showed no retreat, clenching his fists.

No need to back down!

Force against force!

Blade against blade!

In that instant, Chen Qi's body erupted with crimson blood, unleashing an unprecedented explosive roar.

Both spiritual energy sources - his heart and Blade's Wrath - burst forth with their final reserves!

Scalding red energy waves dramatically expanded outward.

Chen Qi's boundless brute force repeated its technique, his arms gripping blood-red tentacles as he tore the Blizzard Dragon King from the air, slamming it once more toward the Ice Witch's position!

"???"

Again?

The Ice Witch's mouth fell open, her entire being resembling a kitten tossed about in the wind.

Unlike ordinary Transcendents, she could activate her domain without consuming spiritual energy and could repeatedly activate it!

But even so, consecutively activating her domain twice required some reaction time.

The Ice Witch had already realized that the hunter and dragon's fight completely disregarded her as an ally!

Crash!

Chen Qi shot past her right side like a crimson blur, whipping up her hair.

Then, the Blizzard Dragon King's body wrapped in tentacles, carrying boundless crimson energy waves, rushed toward her like a falling meteor!

Click!

The Ice Witch activated time stop, attempting to escape.

However, the accompanying energy waves had already struck her body!

Like a bowling ball hit by shockwaves, the Ice Witch's under-ninety-pound frail body tumbled continuously across the deck!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Her head repeatedly struck the deck with particularly crisp sounds.

Finally, the Ice Witch landed neck-first, her butt sticking high in the air like a curled-up insect, a trickle of blood flowing from her nose corner!

Pain pain pain pain!

Her body after revival from the Witch's Coffin was too fragile.

In that moment, she, the mightiest witch, resembled nothing more than a foot soldier injured by two supreme beings' battle!

And a super tiny foot soldier with her butt sticking up at that!

"Damn it, damn it..."

The Ice Witch stabilized herself, punching the deck as she glared at the frozen hunter and dragon:

"This is humiliating, utterly humiliating!"

"I'll remember this! Little Black Hair!"

The Ice Witch struggled to extend her right hand, wiping away the nosebleed as she moved to a safe position.

Then she gave Little Black Hair another middle finger!

As an elegant witch, she would never forget this incident!

Fortunately, she had activated time freeze at the last moment!

Otherwise, her elegant self would have displayed such an unsightly state before everyone.

However, Chen Qi actually managed to unleash such terrifying spiritual energy at the final moment.

The Ice Witch gazed at the horrifying scene before her.

Around the hunter and dragon, frenzied energy waves resembling ink wash painting stained the world crimson.

Under normal circumstances, whether ordinary spiritual energy or qi force, they were invisible and colorless!

But after spiritual energy sublimation, uncontrolled ordinary spiritual energy became visible.

Combined with Blade affinity release, the surging spiritual energy field resembled red beast tides rampaging across the ship!

If he could continue growing, without doubt, he would surpass Fen and become the first among their new generation to reach fifth tier!

This guy... The Ice Witch couldn't help but recall the fate visions again.

Fate occasionally overlooked insignificant existences, some dice-affinity individuals.

No one in this world could escape fate's divination.

Those appearing blurred in fate visions were irrelevant existences.

Someone so important actually left no traces in fate's calculations.

Could it be he would die in the future? Thus having no major impact on fate? The fate visions ignored him?

Necessary to perform a corrective divination again... The Ice Witch put away her pained, twisted mocking expression, returning to her icy mask face, then snapped her fingers once more.

Click!

Time flowed again.

Chen Qi's red pupils shifted, glaring at the Ice Witch, then poured all his killing intent onto the struggling Blizzard Dragon King.

Boom!

The Blizzard Dragon King's body was smashed by Chen Qi into the frozen sea once more.

No need to hold back, no need to care about his own body!

Fight!

Chen Qi gave the Blizzard Dragon King no chance to struggle, his twelve tentacles twisting and entangling before snapping together with a 'smack', forming a crimson giant hand that gripped the dragon's head.

The giant hand slammed forward violently, pinning the Blizzard Dragon King against the Nethersea Ghost Ship's hull.

Crash!

"ROAR————"

The Blizzard Dragon King opened its massive mouth, releasing final ripples.

However, everything was too late.

Chen Qi's eyes burned fiercely, all his muscles bulging like scalding cast iron as he unleashed his final technique.

Die! Dragon King!

Every twenty-meter tentacle transformed into terrifying sharp blades, all aimed at the dragon king's battered chest!

The Blizzard Dragon King's life hung by a thread like a candle in the wind!

Boom! Boom!

Twelve tentacles, plus dual fists, struck blow after blow!

Heavy, thunderous impacts shook everyone present, even startling the bloodthirsty snow dragons!

The combatants resembled two terrifying giant beasts tearing at each other.

Boom! Boom!

Visible ring-shaped blood waves continuously erupted outward.

Simultaneously, the Blizzard Dragon King's heart-protecting dragon scales - harder than reinforced steel - developed ring-shaped gashes one after another.

Bang!

Finally, with a terrifying sonic boom, the twelve tentacles converged into a dragon-slaying spear that pierced through the heart-protecting scales, striking directly at the heart!

Amid the Blizzard Dragon King's fading cries, the battle smoke gradually dispersed.

The explosions grew increasingly quieter, everything gradually returning to calm.

Hundreds of snow dragons, seeing their king's cold heart exposed through its chest, scattered in panic.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Chen Qi's chest heaved violently as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

After expending all his energy, prompts finally appeared before his eyes.

[You have hunted the Ice Plains' Ruler - Blizzard Dragon King, gaining 100,000 inspiration points, twenty Hunter's Fire points.]

Hunt completed.

Dragging his exhausted body, Chen Qi pulled his fist from the Blizzard Dragon King's scalding flesh, breathing heavily in great gasps.

As the cold wind blew, everyone stood at the ship's edge, staring dumbfounded at the scene.

In the wind, Chen Qi's body was thoroughly soaked in his own blood and the dragon's boiling blood.

Even after stopping the fight, he still exuded the domineering aura of a bloodthirsty beast.

The battle between hunter and dragon ended with the hunter's victory!

The outcome was decided!

The Ice Witch was right, it wasn't a joke!

Even without any help from them, the Black Hunter could defeat the Blizzard Dragon King!

After a brief silence, everyone couldn't help but cheer:

"Is this even human combat?"

"Even Captain Palu would need to activate his domain plus have good luck to defeat a fifth-tier, right?"

"Those dragon king binding techniques are so professional!"

"How is this ship still intact? Just being on this ship makes me feel like my butt's getting shaken to pieces!"

"Two monsters! What kind of hunter chooses a berserker fighting style!"

"The Ice Witch predicted this step - we underestimated the Black Hunter!"

"Captain Palu, you're truly useless, just hand over your Four Emperors title to Lord Black Hunter!"

Everyone excitedly discussed.

Before their eyes, crimson prompts appeared again.

[Blizzard Dragon King has died, its dragon blood soaking this coffin, dimensional rift mutation rate decreased by 3%, currently 82%!]

[Reality and dimensional rift intersect, Great Whale blood once again soaks this place, dimensional rift mutation rate increased by 9%, current mutation rate 91%!]

Crimson 91% mutation rate! Everyone was shocked.

They never expected the mutation rate to increase instead of decrease after the Blizzard Dragon King's death!

When dimensional rift mutation rate reaches 100%, either collapse or rank-up occurs.

An A-rank rift's collapse or rank-up would contaminate the entire ocean with its destructive scale.

An A-rank rift's collapse represented true world-ending disaster!

At this moment, Burry looked toward Chen Qi beneath the dragon king's corpse and asked:

"Um, everyone, what should we do next?"

Currently Chen Qi's spiritual energy field was gradually calming, but no one dared approach!

No one knew if the berserk Chen Qi would attack them.

Chen Qi's eyes were vacant, their ferocity gradually fading as all his strength instantly drained away.

He had overexerted himself too severely.

Little Crow, battered and bruised by the battle's aftermath, struggled to rise while bleeding, and crawled with difficulty toward the bow of the ship, gazing at Chen Qi.

The recent battle had wrecked his internal organs.

Now, Chen Qi couldn't move at all.

That body had reached its limits and required immediate professional medical treatment.

Chen Qi remaining on the ship would be very dangerous... Little Crow bit her lip, recalling how Chen Qi had risked everything to save her during the Illusion Beast battle.

Should I go help Chen Qi up? Little Crow wrestled internally.

Perhaps this was her chance to repay Chen Qi!

Finally, gathering courage, she reached out, preparing to jump off the ship and rescue Chen Qi...

However, her body was too fragile.

Just contacting the residual spiritual energy waves around Chen Qi made a drop of blood fall from her finger!

So painful! I... Little Crow bit her lip.

Just then, under the twilight, a dazzling figure appeared before Little Crow!

Whoosh!

Fen, having stabilized herself from the turbulent shaking, jumped off the ship without hesitation, embracing Chen Qi.

Such a scalding body... Fen held the semi-conscious Chen Qi, enduring the searing blade energy waves as she anxiously brought him onto the ship, carefully laying him flat on the deck.

"..."

Little Crow froze completely, unsure how to express her feelings.

Now she truly realized that familiar figure was no longer the weak Sawshark crew member like herself, nor that little chef drifting at sea.

Now the little chef was a legend equal to witches, a powerhouse recognized by the Ice Witch and one of the Four Emperors, Palu!

She once believed Chen Qi would escape the Whale Father's grasp like her and live an ordinary life in Moonstone City.

But now, while she failed to escape the Whale Father's power, Chen Qi had long become a powerhouse beyond her reach.

Little Crow felt mixed emotions, unsure how to express her complex feelings.

"..."

Fen interrupted Little Crow's thoughts:

"Doctor Crow, please stop the bleeding! I'll prepare medicine now - I'm counting on you to perform the surgery!"

Fen said with extreme urgency.

Currently, the riddled-with-wounds Chen Qi required immediate treatment - the slightest mistake could leave severe permanent damage.

Me? I'll lead and perform surgery? Little Crow paused momentarily.

During this adventure period, while her strength hadn't grown much, her medical skills had received the Blackfin Crew's full training!

Time was extremely tight - she didn't argue, carefully taking out the medical kit and extracting sharp Transcendent willow-leaf scalpels.

This was her first major task since boarding the ship!

But could she really do it?

She stared at Chen Qi's riddled, blood-spurting body.

During the recent battle, Chen Qi had exhausted all spiritual energy, like cast iron glowing red-hot in a furnace.

She knew of a special surgery - Blood Forging Technique.

This surgery was created by a Saint specifically for this state of exhausted spiritual energy and physical burnout.

If the surgery succeeded without issues, Chen Qi's body might achieve unprecedented improvement, perhaps even a breakthrough!

This breakthrough was something countless Goblet affinity users dreamed of.

However, there was one major prerequisite - her surgery couldn't have a single mistake.

Not even the slightest error!

Otherwise, Chen Qi would suffer lifelong chronic illness.

Yet she remained only a third-tier drug-enhanced subject - neither her spiritual energy precision nor intensity were sufficient.

Little Crow glanced sideways at her continuously trembling right hand and the gleaming scalpel within!

Due to the recent battle's aftermath, her body was also covered with injuries.

This was a surgery developed by a Saint - the failure probability reached ninety-nine percent!

Not a single mistake allowed... Little Crow trembled, silently repeating the phrase in her heart.

Could she really do it?